


Quest of Erebor.

by Alonia143



Series: The Benevolence [2]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, FIli and Kili don't go on the quest, Fili and Kili are still little kids, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-06
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-03-14 12:21:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 34,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13589952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alonia143/pseuds/Alonia143
Summary: This is a sequel to Lost and Found; go read that first please. Madness. Utter Madness! How can a small group of dwarves led by an iron clasp determination to get this done wizard, followed by a hobbit who still thinks this is utter madness. Bilbo goes on an adventure, to help Thorin, reclaim Erebor from a fire breathing dragon. Please R & R, thank you.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> Yes. What you see before you is the Sequel to Lost and Found. 
> 
> Since things in this alternate world of the timeline, I’m going to change when the Quest of Erebor really happens, which is T.A. 2941, the quest will happen within T.A. 2925.
> 
> Lately, I know that I’ve been depressed. I won’t get too much into it, but, I do have to thank 2 people who helped me out. Now I know that Sherlock isn’t the Hobbit, but these fanfics written by these 2 Fic Author’s is what helped me. 
> 
> Thank you: 221b_careful_what_you_wish_for and Bittergreens.
> 
> You can find their fics over on AO3.
> 
> Anyway I hope that you will enjoy this chapter and hopefully this story. 
> 
> Please read and review,  
> Alonia143.

**_ Chapter 1: _ **

 

Despite the day being cloudless and the sun shining brightly, Bilbo sighed heavily. The laughter of children floats up on the soft spring breeze, the soft murmuring threads of adults talking to each other and with their neighbors.

 

The young Hobbit of Bag-End hadn’t forgotten his time in the North. His time in Ered Luin and how he nearly killed the King of the Dwarves. That is what made him sigh. The guilt and regret.

 

A war nearly broke out. It’s something that he still couldn’t, after a few years had gone by, out of his mind. It was like his memory and mind were playing cruel tricks. In many ways, Bilbo is thankful that no one checks in on him otherwise the screaming nightmares would make anyone come running to his aid.

 

But so many few hobbits would. He knew, that only the Gamgee family would and a few of his Took cousins.

 

Shaking his head and thinking _‘When did I ever care for their opinion of my life?’_

 

He walked to his bedroom, beginning to sift through the leaves of parchment of what Ered Luin was like and other things. What Bilbo was doing was writing his adventure from there.

 

It was odd for a hobbit to do this, but, he didn’t mind it. In many ways, it put things in much clearer light.

 

Like how he fell in love with the King of Dwarves.

 

Oh yes, my dear reader. He felt like he always knew that, Thorin would never return his affections back, but the heart did strange things whenever it was awaken.

 

After he got home from that awful adventure, Bilbo had cut his beaded hair. Since he was taught by his mother of how Dwarves lived, cutting one’s hair was ashamed of something. It also meant that one was in mourning of a family member’s death.

 

Since no one really died in that “battle”, Bilbo was a bit mournful still. The dark brown locks of his hair were cut away. For the first time in a very long, long time, he looked like a normal hobbit. Which, the residents of Hobbiton were shocked to see him as, for the first year since he came home.

 

During the months that the hair was growing back, Bilbo wore the Royal Family Bead as a necklace. When he would go to Bree for things that Hobbiton didn’t really have, other dwarves there would comment on it after they bowed to him of course. It was still strange for him to see another person bowing all because of this bead.

 

He had found out, through talking to some of the dwarves that, the Ur family was settling in their market shop within Bree. Pretty soon, Bilbo and Bofur were talking to each other like very old friends.

 

Bofur was selling his hand carved wooden toys to the kids within Men towns like Bree and to the rangers of the North. Bombur was still cooking within Ered Luin and Bifur was now a Royal guardsman, which was a huge deal within their family.

 

THUMP! THUMP!

 

“What on earth can that be?” Bilbo asked more to himself as he glared near his front door.

 

He put his quill down and headed to his front door.

 

THUMP! THUMP!

 

“Yes! Yes! I’m coming!” He yelled as he neared the round thing.

 

He pulled open his front door and all he saw was a gray tall wall.

 

“Uh….?” He said not knowing what to make of this.

 

Pretty soon, that gray tall thing hunched down and tilted his head back.

 

“Gandalf!” Bilbo exclaimed happily.

 

“Bilbo Baggins,” Gandalf greeted him back, smiling.

 

Bilbo rushed forward and hugged his old family friend.

 

“What are you doing here? Come on, come in!” He said, smiling as he backed away.

 

Gandalf didn’t say anything as he crouched low into the hobbit’s home.

 

“Would you like some tea? I can easily make up some muffins or something, if you’re hungry,” Bilbo said, taking the wizard’s gray pointy hat and wooden staff.

 

“Tea with muffins sound good,” Gandalf replied back as Bilbo trotted down the hallway after he put the wizard’s belongs near the rack.

 

“What brings you here?” Bilbo said loudly, getting the cups and such in order.

 

“I am doing well,” Gandalf replied back.

 

Leave it to wizards to give you Riddles instead of the truth!

 

Bilbo walked to his dining room, it was the tallest place for Gandalf to stand fully in.

 

“So what brings you around here?” Bilbo asked him, sitting down at the head of the table.

 

Gandalf took his cup of tea and sipped it lightly.

 

“I am here to ask if you would like to go on an adventure,” Gandalf told him.

 

“What? Gandalf,” Bilbo said, stunned “The last time that I went on an adventure….I nearly killed a Royal. Adventures are not for me,”

 

“And if I were to say that this Royal needs your help, once more, would you decline him?” Gandalf twisted the words around.

 

“Has something bad happened to Thorin? Fili? Kili or Lady Dis?” Bilbo asked at once, worry and fear gripping his soul.

 

“No, no. They’re all doing just fine. Just that Thorin thinks it is time for him and his people to reclaim their home far to the East,” Gandalf replied, soothing Bilbo’s worry and fear.

 

Bilbo was silent for a moment.

 

“Since I know you from my mother, I can’t help hear a giant _But_ in this,” he said to the wizard, sipping his cup of tea.

 

“That is for another time. Just will you help Thorin?” Gandalf asked, avoiding the question altogether.

 

Bilbo heavily sighed as he leaned against his chair, running his hand from his forehead down.

 

“Fine I’ll help Thorin and his kin out. Just what is it that you can’t possibly tell me now; that you think won’t frighten me off. Unless you have forgotten, I have traveled a lot within this part of Middle-Earth. Going to Rivendell and the Gray Heavens. I have faced orcs before, Gandalf,” The hobbit reminded his family friend.

 

“I know you have my dear boy and your mother would be proud of your adventures. However, what I have to say, cannot be during the daylight,” Gandalf told Bilbo.

 

“Fine. Keep your secrets. Just when will I expect your party to come by? Well past the second watchman?” Bilbo asked, defeated.

 

“Probably. But it won’t be until later on tonight,” The wizard sang his riddles.

 

Bilbo sighed, knowing that didn’t give him that much time to prepare for any kind of real food to cook up.

 

“Alright. Out,” Bilbo said, getting up from his chair and shooing Gandalf away.

 

Gandalf chuckled low and smiled.

 

Both friends parted on good terms, mind you, and just like Gandalf had appeared, he was gone over the hill.

 

Bilbo however walked into Hobbiton’s Market Place with his wheel barrel and bought a lot of things. The other hobbits were curious and wary of Bilbo being down there, but he didn’t care.

 

He was just coming back when he gasped.

 

“What on Earth are you two doing here!?” He said smiling and pulling faster to greet them.

 

Them, was his cousins, Drogo Baggins and Primula Brandybuck.

 

“Hello, cousin. We were just in the area,” Drogo replied back, smiling.

 

Bilbo put his wheel barrel in the front of his yard. It gave him a good chance to look at them both.

 

“Congratulations on your happy union,” He told them both.

 

“What? How did you? Ooh… never mind! Just thank you Cousin,” Drogo huffed up.

 

Bilbo chuckled and walked over to them.

 

“Come on in. It seems that I’m getting a lot of visitors today,” he said, gently hugging Primula.

 

“We’ve couldn’t wait anymore for my mother’s approval,” Primula stated softly to Bilbo.

 

He faltered in his step up the stairs to his home.

 

“Let’s talk inside,” He then told them both.

 

When they all were inside and once more in his dining room, Bilbo waited.

 

“We just couldn’t wait anymore. I understand that tradition demands that we wait, but, we’ve waited for nearly 5 years now,” Drogo protested.

 

Bilbo nodded and replied “If they ask you, on why you couldn’t wait for her mother’s approval, you can state back ‘we did get her approval. Just that the traditional time line ran out and got married at once’. No one will ask if you put it like that,”

 

“No, but they will think differently, cousin,” Drogo agreed with him.

 

“Let them think all they want. It’s your life, not theirs. Now, it’s a good thing that you two are here,” Bilbo told them both “I need your help,”

 

“Help with what?” Primula asked curiously.

 

Bilbo couldn’t argue on why both Drogo and Primula Married so “early”, but he wasn’t going to pass judgment on them.

 

“I’m going to go on an adventure with my mother’s friend, Gandalf. I need someone here to look after Bag-End. I don’t know when I’ll be back, but just to be sure, so that Lobelia and her greedy husband doesn’t take Bag-End”

 

“We’ll look after it for you,” Drogo interrupted him.

 

Sighing with relief, Bilbo then brought out some documents “These are for you to sign and if I don’t come back, the deed of Bag-End,”

 

Drogo and Primula gasped and asked saying it at the same time “Are you sure?”

 

“I’m positive. When I went up North, I saw Lobelia trying to enter my home through the backdoor window,” Bilbo said shaking his head.

 

“Then it would be now to tell you why we got married so early,” Drogo stated heavily.

 

Bilbo looked at Primula curiously.

 

“I’m pregnant and you know how the residents feel about not being married before having a child,” She softly said, looking at the dining table.

 

“Yes. My mother had told me, before she died, that she was in the same situation that you are in. That is why many of the hobbits here, talk that I was born so early,” Bilbo replied, thinking things over.

 

“When would you like us to move in?” Drogo asked, sipping his cup of tea.

 

“Right now. I have Gandalf coming over with some dwarves and I would like it if you would witness it,” Bilbo informed them “But congratulations, on the new little one on the way and to your marriage,”

 

“Thank you cousin,” Drogo replied, beaming now with utter relief.

 

“Thank you, Bilbo,” Primula said back smiling.

 

“Do you have anything with you?” Bilbo asked curiously.

 

“No. We will need to go into the Market to get some clothes and such, but this is all we have,” Drogo replied grimly.

 

Bilbo nodded and then said “I have to get the food in, Prim, do you think you could cook up a massive 12 course meal? Along with cookies and such?”

 

“That’s a big order but I can,” She exclaimed in shock.

 

“If I know anything about Dwarves, it’s that they eat a lot in each 3 meals,” he said smiling “I’ll be back in a couple of hours,”

 

After Primula and Drogo signed the documents, Bilbo brought in the extra food. Prim and Drogo got to work on the cooking. Before long, he was back in the market.

 

He started to buy things that were raising eyebrows from his fellow neighbors. Things like yellow baby clothes, women’s pregnancy dresses, pillows and blankets. Bilbo hummed mostly to himself as he bought everything that he needed for now and headed back up.

 

After he got everything inside and walked into the kitchen, Bilbo smiled at his cousins.

 

It wouldn’t much later, that Drogo and Bilbo heard the knock on Bilbo’s door. Primula was in bed already since both Bilbo and Drogo wanted her to have a good night’s sleep.

 

Heart pounding and constricting in his throat, Bilbo wondered if the first one to arrive was Thorin.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Everyone!
> 
> Thank you for liking/favoriting/following/reviewing this fic. 
> 
> I’m doing alright, not better but alright. 
> 
> Yes, a certain OC comes back. I won’t spoil it for you. Another thing is that, in this fic, Bilbo is very bold and snarky. We the readers know that he gets like this in the middle of the Book from the Hobbit. Just extending that part of him in this fic.
> 
> Also this chapter is going to be its own, but also have some moments from the movie. The rest of the story here won’t be like this.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you like this.  
> Alonia143.

**_ Chapter 2: _ **

 

Soft low groaning of the round door was soothing to Bilbo’s poor heart. When he could easily see the person, he looked at the dwarf before him.

 

“Dwalin, at your service,” Dwalin said, bowing to him.

 

“Hello Dwalin,” Bilbo greeted him back, stepping aside.

 

Dwalin looked around and asked “Is it down here?”

 

“The food, Dwalin son of Fudin, will be served when Thorin gets here,” Bilbo sternly told him.

 

That made the great big dwarf halt in his tracks.

 

“Bilbo?” Dwalin asked, his eyes locking onto the hobbit.

 

“Yes. I live here and am friends with that of Gandalf the Grey. Now, if you would like some ale or anything like that, I can easily get it for you. In the mean time, you can sit in the dining room,” Bilbo snipped back.

 

Bilbo was irritated because he knew that any other hobbit wouldn’t accept this kind of behavior from anyone and that included a bodyguard dwarf.

 

Walking into his pantry, Bilbo got Dwalin’s mug and handed it to him.

 

“Thank you, Prince Bilbo,” Dwalin softly said to him, taking it and slowly drinking it.

 

“None of that Prince stuff. Remember, us hobbits don’t see it like that,” Bilbo reminded him.

 

“Aye, but it is the truth,” Dwalin replied back “can’t escape that,”

 

Heavily sighing Bilbo concede and said “No, but, who else is coming?”

 

“Everyone, but Fili and Kili. Lady Dis had to make traps for them to not sneak away and come here,” Dwalin said, looking Bilbo over.

 

“I wouldn’t put it past Lady Dis to put up traps to keep her sons at home. They are rather young for this sort of thing,” Bilbo agreed, shaking his head at the idea of Fili and Kili wrapped up in some rope while hanging upside down with guilty faces.

 

“Aye, they are also Thorin’s Heirs,” Dwalin drank from his mug.

 

“Well if she needs them to go from Ered Luin, they can come here. My cousins, Drogo and Primula Baggins Own Bag-End now. Just until I come back from this quest,” Bilbo told Dwalin as Drogo walked out with his own ale.

 

Dwalin stood up and bowed “Dwalin, at your service,”

 

Drogo swallowed nervously and replied “Drogo Baggins,”

 

“Don’t worry, Drogo, he and the others won’t hurt you and Prim. They are decent people when you get to know their way of life,” Bilbo informed his nervous cousin.

 

“I’ll trust you on this, Bilbo,” Drogo told him in return.

 

THUMP! THUMP!

 

Bilbo got back up and walked to the front door again.

 

“Balin, at your service,” Balin greeted with his arms wide open and bowed to Bilbo.

 

“Nice to see you as well, Balin,” Bilbo greeted him back, smiling.

 

Balin looked up sharply and replied “My, my. Gandalf has the strangest of connections,”

 

“That he does. Come on in,” Bilbo agreed and stepped aside.

 

Balin walked in and looked around Bag-End in awe.

 

“Laddie…not to alarm you here, but…” Balin softly told him, pointing to the tree roots.

 

“Oh don’t worry about that. The tree is fine,” Bilbo scuffed, waving his hand at the roots.

 

Balin walked with Bilbo into the front parlour and smiled fondly with “Oh, ha, ha! Evening brother,”

 

Bilbo gasped when he saw Dwalin trying to get to some cookies in his glass jar.

 

“Dwalin!” He snapped as Dwalin cowered a bit.

 

In all of the time that the sons of Fudin have been around Bilbo, he never once raised his voice to anyone. But they weren’t in Ered Luin, they were in his home.

 

“Put that jar of cookies back down on the table. Dinner will be ready when everyone, yes-Everyone, gets here. No eating before,” Bilbo hissed at him.

 

“My apologies, Master Baggins,” Dwalin shamefully replied back.

 

Balin would live on to tell anyone that he has never seen his baby brother, hold his hands clasped together in front of him and look like a little sheepish dwarfling.

 

Bilbo sighed and said “Balin, would you like some ale?”

 

“Aye, laddie,” Balin replied, smiling.

 

Bilbo walked away as Balin’s smile dropped and looked over at Dwalin.

 

Dwalin drank his ale slowly.

 

“Alright, here you are, Balin,” Bilbo said, walking back into the front parlour, handing the ale to Balin.

 

“Oh, thank you so much, laddie,” Balin replied, taking it and drinking deeply.

 

It was quite some time before the bell rang.

 

Bilbo looked confused but got up anyway, opening it.

 

“Flintric son of Thrain, at your service,” the youngest Durin brother bowed low with another dwarf bowing too.

 

“Khod son of Khad,” Khod said gruffly to Bilbo.

 

“Bilbo Baggins at yours. Come in, Dwalin and Balin are already here,” Bilbo replied, reminding himself of his manners.

 

Flintric walked inside and nodded to both Dwalin and Balin. Khod, kept to himself.

 

“How are things, with you, in the Blue Bain Gorge?” Balin asked Flintric, sipping his ale.

 

Flintric looked around as Bilbo closed his door.

 

It would have been nice to hear what Flintric had to say, but then his door bell rang and rang until finally it stopped on its own. Bilbo had suddenly opened the door and there all fell to the ground were dwarves and a wall of grey standing behind them.

 

“Gandalf,” Bilbo greeted, looking past the fallen dwarves.

 

“You might want to get this fixed,” Bofur said smiling up at Bilbo with the broken door bell in hand.

 

“Thank you, Bofur for volunteering to do just that!” Bilbo replied back to him, smiling as well.

 

“Ooooy,” Bofur groaned into the floor.

 

Pretty soon, all of the fallen down dwarves stood up and looked around Bilbo’s home.

 

“Come on in. Food will be ready when Thorin gets here,” Bilbo said to them all.

 

“Knowing him, he might get lost,” Flintric replied back which earned some chuckles from the others.

 

Everyone got their drinks.

 

Bilbo shook his head and then said “I’ll be out front it that’s the case,”

 

Bilbo took his long wooden pipe with some South Farthing pipe weed and a coat as he then headed out his front door.

 

The night was fresh. It wasn’t crisp but there was a fresh feel about it. Then again, it could be that the clouds were scarce and the twinkling bright stars shined like they were showing off their brilliant show.

 

Bilbo pressed his thumb into his pipe weed before lighting a match and putting it where it was. Hollowing out his cheeks, sucking in the sweet air, puffing out smoke, he walked down the coble brick steps and over to the bench.

 

He didn’t look down the road. He didn’t want to; the stars were blinking and winking at him.

 

“Bilbo?” he heard that deep gruff voice to his right.

 

Opening his eyes and looking over at a cloaked Thorin Oakenshield.

 

“Good evening, Thorin,” Bilbo replied back, standing up with his pipe in hand.

 

“Good evening,” Thorin replied, unsure of something.

 

“The others are inside. They mentioned that you get lost easily, so I waited out here,” Bilbo told him, walking over to his wooden gate.

 

Heavily sighing and bit thankful for the darkness, Thorin blushed as he gazed upon the hobbit before him.

 

It has been some time. Bilbo looked a bit older, though nothing has changed about him.

 

“How are you?” Thorin asked looking Bilbo in the eye.

 

Bilbo opened his gate and smiled up at Dwarf King “I’m doing alright. Not really thrilled that Gandalf talked me into going on this quest of yours but, what can you do with wizards? They will do whatever they think is right,”

 

Thorin smirked in agreement as he crossed into Bilbo’s yard.

 

“Want some?” Bilbo offered his pipe to Thorin.

 

“…Sure,” Thorin hesitated, taking the wooden pipe.

 

“We make it. The pipe weed I mean,” Bilbo explained to him.

 

Thorin nodded as he sucked on the wooden pipe and sighed. It was very smooth, rich and savory. There was also something about it that made Thorin think that it was missing something, but he wasn’t going to offend Bilbo like that.

 

Bilbo smiled as he guided Thorin up the steps and then opened his round green door.

 

“If any of you started to eat to dinner,” Bilbo shouted loudly when there was laughter and such down into his hallway.

 

It became suddenly quiet.

 

Bilbo then softly told Thorin “Boots off, cloak goes here and I am going to be a very angry hobbit,”

 

Thorin gulped and replied “If they have, then I will handle it personally,”

 

Stomping down the hallway, Bilbo rounded the corner to his dining room and found that everyone wasn’t eating. Their mugs sitting around them, but their plates empty.

 

“Alright, let’s go and eat,” Bilbo shockingly said.

 

Gandalf chuckled with “They won’t disrespect you like that, Bilbo Baggins,”

 

“I sure hope not!” Bilbo agreed and then left to get his plate.

 

Drogo luckily got out of the way just in time, as the others suddenly were in the kitchen.

 

“I hope all of this noise won’t wake up Primula, Bilbo,” Drogo stated loudly for everyone to hear.

 

It was silent after that.

 

“Don’t worry, Drogo. He’s my cousin and his wife is expecting a baby,” Bilbo explained to Balin and Gandalf.

 

Thorin nodded to his cousin and said “May Mahal bless the birth safely,”

 

“Uh…I…Thank you?” Drogo replied back.

 

“Drogo, this is Thorin Oakenshield. He is the King of the Dwarves and from what I know, he is a direct decent of the seven dwarf lords. Just to clarify to you, Thorin is the son of Durin. Durin himself was the first dwarf to roam the lands of Middle-Earth. He lived, I do believe, 4,000 years old???” Bilbo said to his cousin.

 

“Nah, Lad,” Balin corrected him “He lived close to 2,400 years old,”

 

“Ah, forgive me on that part,” Bilbo nodded to him.

 

Balin smiled and continued to listen as did everyone else.

 

“Not to make this a history lesson,” Bilbo said when Drogo sipped his mug.

 

“It’s okay. I guess getting to know another culture takes time to get use to,” Drogo simply said to them all.

 

“Aye,” Bofur spoke up next “I didn’t realize that you hobbits ate so much throughout the entire day. Made Bilbo here skip a few once and I got a tongue lashing that I do not want to repeat,”

 

“Just uh, lad,” Balin asked “how many do you usually eat?”

 

Bilbo swallowed his mouthful and replied “Usually 3, like you guys do since I travel a lot. But I will go back and get seconds or thirds,”

 

Balin nodded as then he cleared his throat “We are here tonight to discuss the meaning of this quest,”

 

Thorin nodded, he felt like it was the right time to get this out of the way and so that his people could live in their home once more.

 

Balin then asked Thorin “What news from the meeting in Ered Luin? Did they all come?”

 

“Aye. Envoys from all seven kingdoms.” Thorin told him, eating quickly before anyone else asked him another question.

 

The dwarves murmur their joy.

 

“What do the dwarves of the Iron Hills say? Is Dain with us?” Dwalin went for the heart of it.

 

Swallowing, Thorin how to put this to everyone “They will not come,”

 

The others shook their head and muttered their disappointment to each other.

 

“They say this quest is ours and ours alone.” Thorin further stated as some had their mouths open in further disappointment.

 

“Dain?” Bilbo asked curiously “Family member?”

 

“Aye, Dain is Thorin’s cousin,” Khod snipped at him.

 

Bilbo looked at Khod and said firmly “I am only asking because I don’t know Thorin’s family all that well, like the rest of you,”

 

“Khod,” Flintric said to him “Bilbo has the right to know of his husband’s family,”

 

“What? Husband?” Bilbo squeaked out.

 

“Aye, laddie,” Khod told him “When a dwarf wears a necklace, it means of two things: waiting to be married or already is married to their intended,”

 

Bilbo paled at this.

 

“I …I didn’t know…” Bilbo stammered as he then looked to Bofur.

 

“I am sorry for not telling you, Bilbo. I honestly thought that you already knew that and that is why you wear Thorin’s bead as a necklace,” Bofur quickly expressed to his friend.

 

No one said anything. No one knew how to get past this slightly awkward situation.

 

“After this, Thorin, I will need to discuss things with you,” Bilbo muttered low but everyone heard him.

 

“Aye,” Thorin agreed.

 

“Bilbo, my dear fellow, let us have a little more light?” Gandalf asked, dispelling the discomfort.

 

The highly embarrassed hobbit trotted away to find some decent candles. At times Bilbo would stay up most of the night sometimes. Just thinking of his memories with Thorin.

 

Bilbo brings a candle to the table, where Gandalf has spread out a map which was in his pocket “Far to the East, over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a single solitary peak.”

 

The map was old, a square with three folds of where the map was folded. Bilbo saw on the map itself, a mountain by itself with a flying dragon above it.

 

“Oin has read the portents, and the portents say it is time.” Gloin said loudly for everyone to hear.

 

“Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain as it was foretold: When the birds of yore return to Erebor, the reign of the beast will end.” Oin, Bilbo guessed, with the trumpet in his ear stated in a fore telling voice.

 

“Uh, what beast?” Bilbo asked them curiously.

 

Drogo looked pale all of a sudden.

 

“Well that would be a reference to Smaug the Terrible, chiefest and greatest calamity of our age. Airborne fire-breather, teeth like razors, claws like meat hooks, extremely fond of precious metals--”

 

“Yes, I know what a dragon is,” Bilbo interrupted Bofur as he looked worriedly at his cousin.

 

“The task would be difficult enough with an army behind us. But we number just thirteen, and not thirteen of the best, nor brightest.” Balin tried to smooth things over with everyone.

 

Bilbo snorted when the shouts and yelling from different members of their group erupted. It wasn’t a second later that he paled at the thought of Primula sleeping.

 

“Shazara! Bilbo’s cousin is asleep!” Thorin roared in anger.

 

Everyone fell silent when their king was like this. Bilbo and Drogo nodded in agreement with Thorin.

 

“If we have read these signs, do you not think others will have read them too? Rumours have begun to spread. The dragon Smaug has not been seen for 60 years. Eyes look east to the Mountain, assessing, wondering, and weighing the risk. Perhaps the vast wealth of our people now lies unprotected. Do we sit back while others claim what is rightfully ours? Or do we seize this chance to take back Erebor? Du Bekâr! Du Bekâr!” Thorin continued in a hushed voice, railing them all up.

 

Bilbo just shook his head at Thorin.

 

Balin wasn’t the only one who wasn’t cheering and stated flatly “You forget: the front gate is sealed. There is no way into the mountain.”

 

 “That, my dear Balin, is not entirely true.” Gandalf spoke up and made everyone look at him.

 

Twiddling his fingers, Gandalf produces an old dwarvish key, ornately wrought. Thorin looks at it in wonder. Bilbo looked at it and wondered how Gandalf got a hold of this.

 

Thorin breathlessly whispered “How came you by this?”

 

“It was given to me by your father, Thrain, for safekeeping. It is yours now,” Gandalf told him, handing the key over to Thorin.

 

Bilbo didn’t say to anyone that he felt sorry for how Thorin’s father, Thrain, had died. Bilbo didn’t tell anyone how he came across the archives detailing the illness that Thrain son of Thror had contracted from within the deepest parts of the mines within Ered Luin. That same illness that took the King, was still wreaking havoc upon the other miners that mine there today.

 

Thorin, according to the document that Bilbo had read in Rivendell, was only 25 years old. A year after Erebor was taken by the great beast.

 

Bilbo grounded his teeth together to keep quiet on the event that played before him now. The old iron key felt wrong. Something about it didn’t settle all too well within Bilbo but, he didn’t make a sound as Thorin wrapped his fingers around the object.

 

“So where do you want me to sign the contract?” Bilbo asked, his eyes closed on what he getting himself into.

 

Gandalf looked at him and said “Balin, I do believe has it,”

 

“Good,” Bilbo replied back, opening his eyes and waited for Balin to get it out.

 

Bilbo walked away from the dining room and then into his study. He sat and read through it all with Drogo right behind him.

 

_“Funeral arrangements?”_ Drogo squeaked out.

 

“Yes. Make sure, you write to Lady Dis. I bet she would love to stay with you,” Bilbo told his cousin.

 

“What do you have in mind, Bilbo?” Drogo curiously asked him.

 

“Neither of you know what to expect when having a baby. And Lady Dis will be blunt about it, instead of the midwife here. Nothing against her, but I would put my trust in Lady Dis any day,” Bilbo replied, taking the quill and signing his name on the parchment.

 

Drogo then said “I’ll think about it,”

 

Bilbo nodded and walked back to the dining room, handing the contract back to Balin.

 

“That was a lot easier-”

 

“Because I’ve been on adventures before, Balin. I do know what I’m getting myself into. Now, tell me who this great beast is,” Bilbo interrupted Balin with a friendly but firm look.

 

“Smaug is a wyrm. Not a Worm that you find in your dirt while you garden, Hobbit,” Khod stated quite bluntly.

 

He got some very disapproving gazes upon him, but that is how it was with hardened warrior dwarves. They don’t put it gently to others about life.

 

Thorin gave a look to Khod and said “For the sake of Bilbo’s cousin and since we are guests here, I would appreciate it if you didn’t speak in that manner,”

 

“No, no,” Bilbo said at once “It’s alright. I don’t mind him speaking in that tone. Just know, that is how it is with people who have been on hard times,”

 

Everyone around the dining table, including that Balin, Drogo and Gandalf, were stunned.

 

“So he’s a dragon that breathes fire, can fly obviously and took over Erebor after doing, I assume here, some damage to a town nearby?” Bilbo prompted them to continue.

 

“Aye, Lad,” Balin took it up from there “Smaug attacked the city of Dale first. Taking out the Men, women and children there. Fire rained down and destroyed most of that great city. Erebor could only withhold Smaug for so long before he rammed the giant gates and burst through. Killing many of our kin as he breathed that vicious fire and heading straight to where the gold was kept,”

 

“Mother survived by going through some doors. They were put in, incase Erebor was under attack,” Flintric stated next, looking at his oldest brother.

 

“Those would be fallen in, Flint,” Thorin softly said back.

 

A lot of hurt and terrible memories were silently passed through that dining room.

 

“So what do you need me for?” Bilbo asked after he couldn’t stand the silence.

 

“To get the Arkenstone,” Thorin said first.

 

“To see if Smaug is alive or not,” Balin and Flintric stated together.

 

Bilbo sighed and replied “Which is it?”

 

“Both, Bilbo,” Gandalf confirmed for him.

 

“Lovely,” Bilbo muttered low.

 

“Just ….how big is Smaug?” Drogo asked frightened.

 

“If you saw a foothill from a distance, you could easily see Smaug sitting upon it with ease,” Khod told him, like he was talking to a toddler.

 

“Think, massive furnace with wings. Melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye,” Bofur said excitedly to Drogo.

 

Bilbo watched as his cousin got paler and paler by the word.

 

“You alright laddie?” Balin asked Drogo.

 

Drogo nodded, trying to breathe correctly.

 

“Flash of light, searing pain, then Poof! You’re nothing more than a pile of ash,” Bofur continued on as if nothing happened.

 

THUMP!

 

“Drogo!” they all heard Primula cry out.

 

“He’s alright, Prim. He’ll come too,” Bilbo reassured her as Thorin, Balin and Dwalin all glared at Bofur.

 

Sheepishly, Bofur grinned at them.

 

Bilbo had walked over to his fainted cousin with Thorin there helping him. They both lifted Drogo up and Bilbo lead Thorin to the guest bedrooms.

 

“He’ll be alright, Thorin. Don’t be too hard on Bofur. I have become quite good friends with him,” Bilbo whispered as Primula walked in.

 

Thorin nodded, but he knew that already the others were giving Bofur a stern talking to. Both Dwarf and hobbit walked out to give Primula some privacy to her husband.

 

“Bofur didn’t mean to do that, Thorin,” Bilbo softly spoke up to him.

 

It was rather odd for Bilbo to say that, since it should be Thorin.

 

“I know, but I do feel responsible for making your kin faint because of the bluntness of-”

 

“-Of the Truth? Drogo and Prim will get over it. In many cases, my kin has forgotten the Wandering Years of what we went through years ago. Forgotten what it’s like to be out past the boarders of the Shire,” Bilbo finished for him.

 

Thorin nodded and let Bilbo lead him back to the others.

 

They both found everyone back in the front parlour.

 

It didn’t escape Bilbo’s notice when the dwarves started to sing. That Thorin was near his fire place, gazing with a determined longing gaze into the flickering warm flames.

 

If Bilbo didn’t feel that “awakening” once more within him, he felt it now.

 

When they were finished Bilbo murmured “That was beautiful. However, if we want to get out of here at an early hour; just guessing that you want to, then I suggest that we all go to bed now,”

 

“Aye,” Several of them agreed.

 

He made sure that everyone was nice and cozy in the guest bedrooms and trotted off to bed himself.

 

Thorin took the bedroom that was against Bilbo’s.

 

To this very day, Bilbo could swear that he heard Thorin humming him to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> Well here is the next chapter. Been interesting to write since I honestly don’t want a repeat of storyline from the Book: The Hobbit. Yeah, I like things different and make things exciting. I’m just that way.
> 
> Life has been Eh lately. I won’t get into it. 
> 
> However, let me ask you this:
> 
> Would you encourage your friend, sibling, child/children, family or parent(s) to give up on their dreams? I know I would never do that to anyone.
> 
> Also, Happy Birthday to my dear friend, Keturah! Hope you have a wonderful day today! And possibly Martin Freeman shows up or something for you lol.
> 
> Amrâlimê= my love.
> 
> Little rant:  
> It’s not “ridiculous” to bring a Character to life for everyone to see. A lot of people have been helped from the movies, TV shows, ect, because they are there to be watched.
> 
> When you say that something is “ridiculous” it makes you sound like you honestly do not have any appreciation for what you do. Not many people can say “Oh, my job is an Actor”. 
> 
> I don’t see Elijah Wood or Martin Freeman complaining about their roles as Frodo and Bilbo years later. Instead, they say it with pride and thankfulness for being a part of it. Does it get annoying that many reporters bring up the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit to them in interviews? Probably, BUT it is their Job. They will forever be known as Frodo and Bilbo.
> 
> Just remember: many of us fans were introduced to you for the first time Through the Hobbit. To launch you into The Main Media Stream from the Hobbit.
> 
> Fuck Expectation. It’s just another form a chain.
> 
> I will end this rant on this note: I was an illiterate until I was 12 years old, back in 2001. Yeah, long time ago on both facts. But what helped me understand what the hell I was reading, enjoy reading period And inspired me to write my own book, was none other than the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy By Professor J.R.R. Tolkien. I still struggle with knowing certain words. To say that you find bringing a character from those Books, that Professor J.R.R. Tolkien worked his ENTIRE LIFE on is “ridiculous”? Then you need to shut the hell up, you ungrateful swine.
> 
> Anyway guys, I hope you find this chapter enjoyable and please read and review,
> 
> Alonia143.

**_ Chapter 3: _ **

 

“Easy,” Bilbo said, the next morning, to his pony, Miron.

 

Miron was tossing his head and bucking.

 

The others were a bit in awe of Miron again.

 

“Okay, come on,” Bilbo said, squeezing with his thighs in the saddle and loosening the reins a bit.

 

Miron bolted away from the group. The others were slowly starting to understand Miron’s personality. Bilbo had told them all, that Miron was a gift from the Elves.

 

Gandalf tutted at the hobbit and his pony.

 

That morning, after having a massive breakfast, they all left Bag-End. Drogo and Primula waved goodbye to them all and promised to look after their new home.

 

Miron was excited to get out and away from Bag-End again. His heart flew with the wind in joy.

 

“Alright, alright,” Bilbo said, pulling the reins backwards and down.

 

Miron tucked his head down to his chest but kept cantering.

 

“Come on, Miron. Please?” Bilbo begged his pony.

 

Snorting and shaking his head a bit, Miron came to a stop. His mouth foaming from running for so long but moving the bit around in irritation.

 

“I know it’s been a couple of months since you’ve been out of Hobbiton, but please, go slow for the others,” Bilbo stated to his pony.

 

Miron flicked his ears and swished his white tail in irritation.

 

“Does he always do this, laddie?” Balin asked when the others finally caught up.

 

“Yes and no. Yes, because he’s been in his pasture on top of Bag-End for too long and no, if I take him out of it a lot,” Bilbo explained the best he could.

 

“Aye. Restlessness is never good for anyone’s soul,” Khod said next, knowing exactly how Miron felt.

 

Bilbo nodded silently to Khod. It was interesting to have him on this quest.

 

“We’ll be at Bree, if your pony keeps this up, Bilbo Baggins of the Shire,” Gandalf teased him.

 

“Ha, Ha. But it’ll be good to get Bree behind us then,” Bilbo replied back, smiling.

 

“Hobbits,” Gandalf huffed back.

 

Thorin chuckled at this interaction. He didn’t really know that Bilbo was like this. Then again, Thorin really didn’t spend all that much time with Bilbo when he was visiting in Ered Luin.

 

Princess Colleen put a major wedge between them, with trying to get to the throne and title.

 

But, to see Bilbo in his element. To see him like this, Thorin thought that this was a different hobbit altogether.

 

Miron nickered and fought against his bit again.

 

“Oooh no you don’t. You stay put within this group or no sugar apples and carrots with honey oats,” Bilbo huffed at his impatient pony.

 

Swinging his head around, Miron gazed at Bilbo with the look that puppy dogs give to want treats.

 

“That won’t work on me and you know it. Now, stay within this group,” Bilbo told him, squeezing his thighs once more.

 

Miron snorted, head ducking in defeat for now, walking with the other slow moving plumped stocky ponies.

 

The others, mostly that of Bofur, chuckled at this. Miron however, didn’t find this funny at all.

 

Bilbo knew his pony and his personality.

 

“Bofur, you better apologize to him now or you will get a swift kick,” Bilbo told him in warning.

 

“Oh he’s just a pony, Bilbo,” Bofur laughed it off.

 

Shaking his head, Bilbo remained silent as Miron then stood still. Bilbo waited patiently as then Miron cut Dori off to get right behind Bofur’s pony.

 

Ears back, mouth open, Miron herded Bofur’s pony into a fast trot.

 

“Whoooaa!” Bofur said out of surprise but, his pony kept trotting.

 

This went on all day long. Bofur and his poor pony were exhausted and when he got a swift kick in the butt when he unsaddled his pony.

 

“AAYE!!” Bofur yelped as his pony had her ears back, snorting and swinging her head about.

 

“I told you would get a kick if you didn’t apologize,” Bilbo mumbled to him as he walked by.

 

Bofur from then on, never made fun of any animal.

 

Bilbo brushed Miron out as he munched on his hay.

 

“You were very sneaky, Miron,” Bilbo muttered very low to his pony.

 

Miron swung his head around, ears back and a twinkle in his eye; Bilbo could easily read this as ‘Then let me run faster!’

 

Chuckling Bilbo then whispered low “No. You stay with the group. Unless you would like to be galloping head first into a pack of Orcs,”

 

Miron stomped his hoof and swished his tail but, lowered his head as if to say ‘Fine!’

 

“Does he always behave like this?” a deep voice greeted Bilbo.

 

Turning, Bilbo saw Thorin holding up his own saddle.

 

“Yeah. But he will come out of this restlessness soon. How are you?” Bilbo replied, looking Thorin in the eye.

 

“Sore, but like you said, it will go away,” Thorin said, shifting from one foot to the other.

 

Bilbo nodded and then softly asked “And what do you feel about this quest?”

 

Thorin took 2 steps forward and whispered low “I have dreamt for so long to have my people be in a respectable and safe place once more. Scrapping to just get food on the table for 1 day doesn’t sit well with me, Bilbo. We were and are, beyond that. If only the entire world could see that,”

 

Gently taking the King’s hand, Bilbo made Thorin drop his saddle, softly bring his rough worn worked hand up to his lips and kissed the top of it. It was very bold to do. Bilbo never quite got over his feelings for Thorin.

 

Thorin felt his throat ache, holding his breath in surprise as he gazed at Bilbo.

 

“I’ve seen your kin at work, within Bree. I would very much like to bypass that town. I’m not welcomed there. Many times I’ve stood up for your people, Thorin. And you are right,” Bilbo murmured to him, holding his fiery gaze.

 

It was then that it seemed to both Dwarf and Hobbit, that time stood still. Their surroundings melting and blurring away as it was just them.

 

“Oi! Stop frightening my baby brother!” Dori’s shout and mother hen voice broke the moment.

 

Bilbo turned his head as did Thorin. They both saw Khod shaking his head at Dori as he, Dori, herded his baby brother away from Khod.

 

Some of the others in the group groaned and glared at both Khod and Dori.

 

Bilbo gently picked up Thorin’s saddle, put it with the others and walked over.

 

“Do not go scolding me on what life is truly like, _Halfing_ ,” Khod snarled at him.

 

Everyone stilled, even that of Gandalf.

 

Bilbo stared at Khod and simply said “I know what life is like, but do not go forcing it onto other people. You are here by choice, not because you were asked to. Now, all of you get some sleep,”

 

Dwalin made a barrier between Khod and Bilbo.

 

Bilbo didn’t hear the little talk that Thorin gave Khod nor did he want to know. All he cared about was getting some sleep.

 

A few days later, Bilbo was waiting for them. He made it very, very clear to them all, including that of Gandalf: Bree wasn’t a place that he was welcomed in.

 

So Bilbo had put Miron through his paces and thankfully the restlessness was well out of his system.

 

The group was traveling in the open lands near Weathertop. Bilbo had Miron gallop until foam was around his bit, his breathing labored and wasn’t fighting Bilbo with the reins and bit anymore.

 

Thorin smiled when he saw the cream pony and rider gallop hard towards the front of the group.

 

Others would say, besides that of Gandalf, Bilbo looked like an Elf.

 

“Hello, Thorin,” Bilbo greeted him, smiling hugely.

 

“And to you, Bilbo. Are you well?” Thorin asked, smiling too.

 

“Yes, though I would be careful from here on out. I have heard orcs and wolf howls these past nights and early mornings,” Bilbo replied heavily.

 

Dwalin turned his pony around and then trotted to Flintric.

 

“So, where’s Khod?” Bilbo asked, looking for the dwarf.

 

“He will be late. Didn’t join up with us when we left Bree,” Flintric stated back.

 

Bilbo shook his head and said “Well at least he won’t get into trouble,”

 

Flintric then stated “He doesn’t need a member of this company, to mother hen him,”

 

Bilbo looked at Flintric and said “No, but watching out for him is better than none,”

 

Flintric was going retort back, but when Thorin stood behind Bilbo in the shadows, his younger brother backed down.

 

“He’ll be fine,” Flintric grumbled and walked away.

 

Bilbo shook his head and looked towards Gandalf.

 

“He will be with us soon, do not worry, Bilbo,” Gandalf reassured his friend.

 

“Alright. So who’s cooking dinner?” Bilbo asked anyone in their group.

 

“I am, Master Baggins,” Bombur said shyly.

 

Bilbo smiled and asked “Do you need some help with it?”

 

“I do need some meat cut up,” Bombur said back, walking over to the campfire.

 

Bilbo quickly realized it was one of his own recipes and replied back “Let me go and find the greens okay?”

 

He heard groaning but trotted away.

 

“Do I have to eat the greens?” Ori asked Dori in disgust of just well eating his green food.

 

“If Master Bilbo puts it into this stew tonight, then yes, you will,” Dori told him sternly.

 

Ori sighed as he sat down on a cut up log.

 

Bilbo meanwhile, had his nose extremely close to the ground. He was holding his spice pouch close in hand as his eyes scanned the small grassy area.

 

His nose twitched as it smelled of rosemary nearby. Worn, rough fingers ran over the dark leaves as Bilbo searched and searched.

 

Suddenly, like a boulder was smashing and rolling towards him, Bilbo heard the bushes and sticks and twigs snapping as a dark shadow raced through.

 

“Thorin!” Bilbo cried as he then leapt away the person.

 

The four thuds of the animal cantered into the campsite.

 

CRASH!

 

SPLASH!

 

“AAAAG!! OUR DINNER!!” Bofur shrieked.

 

Slowly getting to his feet, weapons drawn out, Bilbo hurried into the campsite as he then saw the others giving death glares to Khod.

 

“You big Oaf! Look what you just did! Now we won’t have any for dinner!” Dori snapped then.

 

“Now, hang on,” Bilbo said when Khod looked down in shame “It wasn’t his fault. That isn’t his original pony,”

 

Everyone was still giving Khod glares.

 

“Enough! Help clean up and if I hear any more of you complaining, then maybe it was a good thing for him to knock the pot over,” Bilbo snapped at them all.

 

Everyone went about cleaning up, grumbling and glaring at the ground as Bilbo gently eased the cooking pot back. Gandalf hid his smile as he looked around to pick up some things that were scattered around the campsite.

 

When it was all cleaned up and very little of the stew left, Bilbo sat right next to Gloin.

 

“How’s your wife and son, Gimli, doing, Gloin?” Bilbo asked him curiously.

 

Everyone else groaned and some said “Don’t get him started!”

 

“I can ask him on his family since the last time I saw him,” Bilbo bit back at them.

 

Gloin smiled at this and replied “They are doing well, Bilbo. We still miss our little star but, we are doing well,”

 

He nodded and sighed heavily.

 

To this very day, Bilbo still feels like it was his fault that Gloin’s only daughter died because of him. It’s a guilt that never goes away. Yes it will fade with time, but it will linger there.

 

“That is the reason why I was so late,” Khod huffed at them.

 

Bilbo looked at him and asked “What kept you late from getting to us?”

 

Khod stood up, took out a letter and then walked over to Gloin stating “Said it was urgent, from your wife,”

 

Gloin tore into the letter and quickly read it.

 

Bilbo and everyone else were holding their breath.

 

“Mahal,” Gloin choked on his words, hot stingy tears swelled up in his eyes and trickled down his face.

 

“Gloin,” Balin said, moving closer to him for support.

 

“She had a baby. My wife…she was due sometime next month, but the baby came early,” Gloin choked out more as Balin then gently took his friend into his arms.

 

Bilbo felt the heavy silence as everyone looked at the ground. Bofur took off his hat; Bombur stared at the ground with sadness.

 

“Is she alive?” Bilbo asked quietly.

 

“Aye! She is! And so is my baby girl,” Gloin replied back, smiling now.

 

At this everyone gasped and then cheered, crowding around Gloin and slapping him on the back.

 

“Given us a real fright there,” Dwalin huffed as Balin chuckled at this in agreement.

 

Gloin rubbed his hands on his face and then looked over at Bilbo and said “My wife says that she wants to name our daughter after your kin,”

 

Bilbo gasped and then walked over “She has my blessing to do so. But what does she want to name her?”

 

Gloin then showed Bilbo the drawing of mother and daughter together.

 

“She also stated that if you name our daughter, it would be a blessing from a neighboring land,” Gloin explained further.

 

Swallowing at this, Bilbo nodded as he took the drawing and looked at the baby.

 

“Margarita,” Bilbo finally said to them all.

 

“Margarita?” Gloin asked curiously.

 

“It means pearl, but it also means daisy flower,” Bilbo further explained to him, looking him in the eye.

 

Gloin nodded and whispered “Margarita,”

 

Ori walked over with his ink bottle, quill and new parchment for Gloin to write on.

 

Gloin wrote back to his wife as Khod then said “I can easily take it back to Bree,”

 

“You’re sure about that?” Bilbo asked, wondering if it would be wise.

 

“Yes. Glorwynn needs to read it,” Khod replied as he took the letter from Gloin.

 

“Alright, but in the morning,” Thorin stated to him “Give your pony a good rest and you need it as well,”

 

“Just what are we going to have for dinner?” Bombur asked worriedly.

 

“Have any more dried meat?” Bilbo asked him.

 

“Aye,” Bombur replied and got it out.

 

Bilbo went to work, it was very late in the night when it was all finished but the stew back full in the cooking pot. No one dared to go against Bilbo and his cooking; even if it did have green food bits in it.

 

When it was late the next morning, the group set off as Khod rode away on his pony back North.

 

Bilbo couldn’t really get that drawing out of his mind. Do not mistaken him for not being over joy for Gloin and his family, but Bilbo couldn’t shake that the baby girl looked almost exactly like that of Glori.

 

For the remainder of the day, Bilbo was utterly quiet. Everyone was keeping a careful eye out on him since he normally doesn’t go this silent.

 

Gandalf rode next to his quiet little friend.

 

“I have never witnessed a hobbit going so still,” He commented to Bilbo.

 

“I’m not still,” Bilbo protested back.

 

“Then, what pray, is on your mind?” Gandalf dared to the question that is on everyone’s mind.

 

“Something,” Bilbo replied vaguely but didn’t let anyone else ask him of what that something was.

 

He made Miron bolt from the group and didn’t look back.

 

Bilbo ignored everything around him. He knew it was stupid to do this, but when the mind and heart were in alliance with one another of the memory of Glori dying, Bilbo didn’t want to be around anyone.

 

Meanwhile back within the group Gloin swallowed “He still blames himself over what happened with Glori,”

 

“Aye, he does,” Balin sadly agreed.

 

“What can we do for him?” Flintric asked, moving his pony closer to Thorin’s.

 

“Bilbo will come around,” Thorin stated back to everyone “Just whenever he needs to be around someone, just keep quiet and let him speak first. It will be no use if you try and pry it out of him,”

 

“Aye,” Bofur agreed “I tried that once. The more I pushed, the more he clamped up like a shell,”

 

They followed Bilbo’s pony’s hoof prints.

 

For the whole day, it was like that. They all knew, except probably for Gandalf, to catch up to Bilbo and his fast pony.

 

It wasn’t until very late in the evening that they all started to get worried for their little hobbit.

 

“I wonder if he will come back,” Ori muttered sadly.

 

“He will Ori,” Thorin replied back to him.

 

“Everyone is different when it comes to grieving laddie,” Balin chimed in next.

 

Ori nodded and then looked around “Where is Gandalf?”

 

That got everyone’s surprise because their big gray company was nowhere to be found.

 

“This is bad,” Dwalin growled.

 

“Aye,” Bofur agreed.

 

The dwarves huddled closer together and didn’t sing that night.

 

When it was the next morning, all of them heard this massive crack sound. The ponies wanted to bolt but thankfully to whoever tied them together, they stayed put.

 

They all got ready and on their way. Their weapons were drawn and they kept silent.

 

“Of all the hobbits Bilbo Baggins!” they heard Gandalf’s angry voice.

 

“What? That I disappointed you as well? You’re not my parent nor can you tell me what I can and cannot do!” Bilbo’s equally angry voice carried to them all.

 

Thorin made his pony cantered to them worried.

 

“To be captured by trolls, I would expect it from Thorin or his group, but not by you,” Gandalf said back.

 

Miron suddenly lunged out at Gandalf as Thorin came into view of them. Bilbo was glaring angrily at big tall gray wizard.

 

“Enough! The both of you!” Thorin thundered at them both.

 

Bilbo let Miron rear up on his hind legs and bucked when he was back on the ground.

 

“Gandalf, normally Bilbo wouldn’t be captured by trolls. He knows these lands better than anyone else here. Bilbo…are you alright?” Thorin stated, looking at the very livid hobbit.

 

“Fine,” Bilbo growled out and turned his pony around and walked away.

 

Thorin trotted up behind him and stayed there.

 

“There’s a cave nearby this old farm house,” Bilbo forced out to Thorin.

 

“Are the Trolls gone?” Thorin asked back.

 

“Yes. They’re turned to Stone, in that hidden area there,” Bilbo pointed past the farm house that was close to the rocks.

 

Thorin turned his pony around and said loudly “Everyone take a rest here. Bilbo, please follow me,”

 

Bilbo swung down from his pony and unsaddled him. Miron walked over and then rolled into the soft wet mud.

 

“Now I will have to give you a bath,” Bilbo complained to him.

 

Miron stood up, shook all over like a dog and snorted at Bilbo with his ears back, almost saying ‘yeah but this feels good!’

 

Bilbo walked over to Thorin and said “What do you want to talk about,”

 

Thorin looked at Bilbo in the eye and then pulled his hobbit into his arms. Despite the height difference, Bilbo snuggled into Thorin’s chest.

 

“I’ve been very worried about you, amrâlimê,” Thorin said to him, pulling back.

 

“What is that word? Armillary?” Bilbo tried to pronounce it back but failed.

 

Thorin smiled and said “You will learn later on it. But please understand something, Bilbo…You are not alone when it comes to guilt. I carry it too, as does Dwalin and Balin, Bifur and Khod,”

 

Bilbo nodded with “I just don’t know how to get that memory from my mind,”

 

“And you probably on this journey to reclaim Erebor. Not until you can come to terms that it was not your fault that Glori died,”

 

“Then what am I to do, Thorin? How can I overcome it? Everyone else will try to smoother me with pity, just like Gandalf did before you showed up,”

 

“You’re wrong on that little one. We will give you your space and let you come to us. Whenever you are ready, we’re here,”

 

“I’m not little,” Bilbo protested.

 

Thorin chuckled at this and said “No, but where is this cave that you mentioned?”

 

Bilbo showed Thorin as Dwalin and Dori stood around the mouth of the very disgusting smelly cave.

 

Bilbo watched the dwarves dig the treasure back into the ground. He shook his head knowing that someone will come back for it.

 

No one was that surprised that Thorin got a new sword. He handed his old one to Flintric as he nodded in pride.

 

Bilbo soon started to clean Miron from his mud “bath”.

 

“When we get to Imladris, you are getting a full bubble bath,” Bilbo huffed as he worked to get the caked on mud off of his pony’s coat.

 

Miron nickered and shook his head.

 

Bilbo smiled for the first time in 2 whole days.

 

No one saw the creature crouching. No one would know why they were suddenly being chased by a pack of wargs.

 

No one knew any of this.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> Thank you for the reviews, kudos, follows and favorites. I’m glad that you guys liked the last chapter.
> 
> Okay, yes I know. Lord Elrond is telling Bilbo what to look out for in the future. Strange as it is, he Does have the Gift of Foresight. So if this seems a bit out of character for Lord Elrond, I will redirect you to the scene between him and Arwen of when he was called out on him seeing her with her son and such. So please, save whatever nasty comments that you have on this. Remember, AU story here.
> 
> Another reminder within Professor’s Tolkien’s world, is that Animals can speak. I choose actions over words, on what Miron was trying to say to Lord Elrond.
> 
> Want to thank Tolkien Gateway dot net website for the information. And yes, the information is word for word from there. 
> 
> Yes this is also a short chapter but, I thought to have a one-on-one moment between Bilbo and Thorin. I won’t spoil it. You have to read it to find out what happens.
> 
> Read and review,  
> Alonia143

**_ Chapter 4: _ **

 

Wincing, Bilbo held his left arm close to his chest as he looked around Rivendell.

 

It was a narrow miss. All of them galloping their ponies as fast as they possibly could to get away from the wargs.

 

Bilbo thought that they were over sized wolves, but no.

 

The dwarves were suddenly shouting angrily at one another as Bilbo swung out of his saddle. Miron heaved heavy breaths as he looked at Bilbo with wide frightened eyes.

 

“I know, I didn’t expect that either,” Bilbo mumbled low to him.

 

“What in Durin’s beard was that all about!?” Khod snarled at anyone.

 

“Ambush, Khod,” Flintric snapped at him.

 

Khod glared heatedly at him but said no more.

 

“Why did it happen?” Ori softly asked his siblings.

 

Bilbo watched Thorin. He was eerily quiet and his mind was grinding away on some thought.

 

Gandalf then said to them all “We are all in one piece, which is what is important. Now, where is Lord Elrond?”

 

Suddenly horns of the elves could be heard and thundering of hooves.

 

Miron pinned his ears back, trotted to the main arch to the platform where the dwarves were and stood his ground. Bilbo just let him; he knew his friend was doing something to get his point across to the elves.

 

A piercing whiny near scream came from Miron as he reared up. Everyone watched the angry pony paw at the air repeatedly.

 

“Miron,” Lord Elrond’s voice gently echoed throughout the area. “I am sorry for frightening you and your companies. May I pass, so that I can tend to those who are wounded?”

 

Miron nodded with his ears still pinned back against his neck, but not moving an inch. He screamed at Lord Elrond as Bilbo hurried over to him.

 

“Come on, it’s okay. He didn’t know that there would be an ambush. He couldn’t have known that. Come on Miron. Come on,” Bilbo gently pulled on the reins to Miron’s foamy dirty bit.

 

Lord Elrond sighed as he saw Bilbo holding his arm close to his chest. His people moved around the dwarves as Miron reared a bit in anger.

 

“Easy, easy,” Bilbo said softly, gently petting his neck and giving him kisses.

 

Snorting Miron shook his head ‘no’ and stomped his hoof as he was moved over nearest to the path to the stables. Lord Elrond and his kin walked their horses onto the platform around the dwarves who were still grouped together.

 

To anyone else that didn’t know the deep friendship between Bilbo and Miron; they would think this hobbit was crazy. Lord Elrond walked slowly over to them.

 

“May I tend to your owner’s wound, Miron?” Lord Elrond asked keeping his distance, as Miron held his head up with his ears still pinned back.

 

“Come on, Miron. Lord Elrond didn’t know, so please, just let me get healed sooner?” Bilbo asked his pony, softly patting his neck.

 

Miron snorted and trotted away with an angry stingy swish of his white tail.

 

“I am sorry about him,” Bilbo said to Lord Elrond.

 

“It is highly appropriate since he was born here and was promised, long ago now, that no harm would come to you while you visited in my home. I would also, when you leave, that you would leave him here,” Lord Elrond murmured low to the hobbit.

 

Bilbo looked up at him curiously, nodding to this as he was showed to the nearest room as he heard Gandalf state to the dwarves “He’s offering you food!”

 

“You do realize that giving them salads and such, they won’t eat it, right?” Bilbo said to Lord Elrond.

 

“I do, but also it is helpful to offer it to them,” Lord Elrond replied back.

 

After a while, Bilbo’s arm was put in a white silk sling.

 

“It’s not broken, just needs to rest in that position and when you leave, it will be back to normal,” Lord Elrond told him.

 

“Thank you, for taking us all in and offering all of this to us,” Bilbo replied, grateful.

 

“There is something that I need to warn you about. I take it you are on a quest of some sort,” Lord Elrond began. “I would be careful with Khod and Flintric. I wouldn’t fully trust them just yet. And you will meet a hurtle with that of King Thranduil. His heart has harden over the years since his wife was taken and tortured,”

 

Bilbo listened to Lord Elrond and whispered “What can I do to help my friend’s get home then?”

 

“Try to be with the group. Make King Thranduil see you, since you are shorter than the others,” Lord Elrond hinted to something.

 

Bilbo nodded and kept quiet when he walked back to the courtyard where the food was.

 

The dwarves didn’t like the salads as Bilbo had sensed.

 

“Oi!” He snapped at them when they were starting to throw food around. “I don’t care if you hate Lord Elrond, but you will not be throwing around food where you are hungry! Eat it or starve,”

 

They all looked at him guilty as they settled down and ate their salads. Lord Elrond looked at Gandalf who hid his smile around his cup of wine.

 

Conversations were amongst the family groups as Gandalf, Lord Elrond, Thorin and Bilbo discussed the swords that they had found.

 

“Orcrist?” Bilbo asked after Lord Elrond said the name.

 

“It was made in the time of my accentors that were fighting against Orcs and goblins. As a pre-warning, it glows blue to prepare the owner of a fight. You will find this most intriguing Bilbo,” Lord Elrond explained to them.

 

“Oh? What is it?” He asked, lightly eating now.

 

“As the "mate" to King [Turgon](http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Turgon)'s sword Glamdring, Orcrist was likely borne by him, or a high ranking lord of the [Gondolindrim](http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Gondolindrim) in the King's entourage.

 

Orcrist "had killed hundreds of goblins in its time, when the fair elves of Gondolin hunted them in the hills or did battle before their walls". During the [Fall of Gondolin](http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Fall_of_Gondolin), [Rog](http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Rog), [Duilin](http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Duilin_of_Gondolin), [Egalmoth](http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Egalmoth), [Tuor](http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Tuor) and [Ecthelion](http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Ecthelion)'s houses defended at the gates before the walls. [Ecthelion](http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Ecthelion) led a charge that resulted in the deaths of thousands of [orcs](http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Orcs), which made his name a terror to their race, before fighting [Gothmog](http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Gothmog_\(balrog\)).

 

“And Gandalf has Glamdring, I see,” Lord Elrond gave a very brief history lesson.

 

Bilbo had to remember to close his mouth and replied “What about this sword here?”

 

He took out his little sword and handed it over to Lord Elrond.

 

“This… Lúne….” Lord Elrond barely uttered.

 

“Lune? Blue?” Bilbo said, looking at Lord Elrond for answers.

 

“There was, among legends, a much larger sword. Near identical to this one. Narvosaer. Meaning in the common tongue: Bright Bitter,” Lord Elrond said, looking over Bilbo’s small sword again.

 

“And this one here?” Bilbo asked for more.

 

“It is said, that Narvosaer with this small dagger, this one, Orcrist and Glamdring were lost to the First Age,” Lord Elrond replied back, looking at Bilbo.

 

“We found these in a Troll cave,” Gandalf supplied to the unspoken question.

 

“And I wonder how these Trolls came across these swords,” Lord Elrond said next.

 

“So Bilbo’s sword doesn’t have a name?” Thorin asked, looking at the hobbit now.

 

“There never was a name to it. So, if he likes, he can name it what he so desires,” Lord Elrond told him, smiling as he handed Bilbo his sword back.

 

“It seems that Biter is common with these swords. So is it...alright to name it….Maengas?” Bilbo asked, sheathing his sword.

 

“Sting? I would have to say that would carry the same name trait as the others,” Gandalf said, smiling with a chuckle.

 

“Yeah, well…has to fit somehow,” Bilbo replied, eating his dinner again.

 

Then a thought accord to Bilbo and looked at Lord Elrond.

 

“Yes, Master Baggins?” Lord Elrond asked politely.

 

“By any chance, that King Thranduil is related to these elves of the First age?” he asked, looking at the swords mostly.

 

Heavily sighing Lord Elrond then replied “Yes. I do believe that nothing will stop him from taking Orcrist from Thorin,”

 

Everyone went silent at this.

 

“What do you mean?” Balin asked.

 

“King Thranduil is that of a kin splintered off from the Elves moving across Arda. These swords, according to my historic collection, are made by those who stayed behind from sailing to the Gray Heaven’s long, long, long ago,” Lord Elrond expressed to them all.

 

“So if he were to see Orcrist?” Thorin asked dreadfully.

 

“He will take it back. No matter how you got it or what you said to him. His kin will take it back,” Lord Elrond nodded to Thorin sorrowfully.

 

“What if…No I suppose that wouldn’t work, now would it?” Bilbo muttered, looking down at the table cloth.

 

After that no one said a word. Dinner was finished with a joyful singing from Bofur and the others.

 

The next day, Bilbo was already up and working away in one of the gardens. The Elves left him be since dirt and weeds were flying from his spot.

 

Lord Elrond had left the gardening to Bilbo a long time ago when he first came here. It wasn’t that Lord Elrond knew that the gardens didn’t need it, just knew that the little curly top and furry foot hobbit needed to get his frustrations out.

 

Working with one hand wasn’t that big of a deal to Bilbo. He huffed, pulled and moved the dirt around to get air into it.

 

“Bilbo?” Thorin’s voice greeted him as he sat back.

 

“Morning, Thorin,” He huffed, looking up at the King.

 

“What are you doing?” Thorin asked him curiously.

 

“Weeding. I swear, each time I come back here, there are ten times more weeds then the last,” Bilbo growled, glaring at the ground.

 

“And here I thought the elves knew how to let plants grow,” Thorin cheekily replied back, chuckling.

 

Bilbo chuckled too and said “Yes, they do. But they keep this part of their gardens, free of their magic,”

 

“Ah. How’s your arm?” Thorin then asked, looking at the dirt stained cloth.

 

“It’s alright. Doesn’t hurt that much,” Bilbo replied, slowly standing up.

 

Thorin nodded and at times, like right now, he tends to forget that this was the little baby boy that got lost some time ago.

 

“Can I help you out?” he asked, suddenly not wanting to waste any more time.

 

“Sure! Let me go and get another pair of gloves and tools,” Bilbo said, smiling up at Thorin.

 

Bilbo trotted away as Thorin looked at the area where Bilbo was working hard at. He couldn’t understand why he left some weeds behind, but he wasn’t going to touch it either.

 

Bilbo came back with the stuff and handed them off to Thorin.

 

“So are those there,” Thorin said, pointing to the left alone ones “flowers?”

 

“Yes. Here, let me show you,” Bilbo said, getting down onto his knees.

 

Thorin did the same as he got the gloves on as he looked at the weeds that Bilbo held up.

 

“These strangle the flowers. Makes it that much harder for the flowers to grow and bloom. How you can tell by that these are weeds is that of the leaves. It’s a different shape, the texture of it and the vanes that go through the leaves. Here, take a look at the bigger ones that I have already pulled up,” Bilbo said, giving very big palm size weed life and pointed it all out to Thorin.

 

Thorin was utterly confused but, when he was showed what Bilbo was talking about, he got it.

 

For an hour or so, Thorin and Bilbo were just gardening. If the other members of the group thought it was odd, they kept mouths shut.

 

“Do you want to help me plant?” Bilbo asked him, his eyes bright with excitement.

 

Thorin swallowed and then said “You will have to show me, since I’ve never done this before,”

 

“What! Thorin, you are natural at this. I don’t believe that,” Bilbo squawked in utter awe.

 

“It’s true. Being a black smith and such, I know how to do that,” Thorin replied, getting to his feet and then helping Bilbo up.

 

“Well, you are natural in my eyes. Now come on. I want to plant some bulbs. The bulbs of a flower make it so that we won’t have to replant them year after year. Though there are certain flowers that do need to do that,” Bilbo explained as they walked into the garden house.

 

It was really hot in the garden house but, Thorin had already taken his leather coat off a while back.

 

“Here are your tulips, Hyacinths, Daffodils, your roses of all sorts for spring and my personal favorite is the Lilies. They just smell so good when they start to bloom,” Bilbo said smiling at the plant.

 

Thorin didn’t know that much of flowers, but he almost-almost mind you- thought that Bilbo was going a bit crazy. Then again, he was a hobbit.

 

“So, let’s fill this wheel barrel up with the other plants, but the lilies. And let’s go plant them!” the hobbit said excitedly and started to take the small pots of flowers into the wheel barrel.

 

When they walked back, Bilbo put the pots on the ground, stepped back and shook his head. Thorin just let him do what he needed to “see” and waited.

 

“Alright, now that we got them the way that will look amazing, we can take the plants out of the small pots and plant them,” Bilbo said, gently digging a small hole in the ground of their garden.

 

Thorin watched Bilbo after he got to his knees. After he got the jest of it, Thorin helped Bilbo plant the flowers.

 

When they were finally finished and Bilbo was watering their garden, Thorin couldn’t help but noticed how beautiful it was. The others that weren’t touched they looked really depressing and needed some help to make them look beautiful again.

 

“That was a good work, Thorin. Thank you for helping me,” Bilbo replied after he put the watering can in the garden house and locked it up for the day.

 

“You’re most welcome. I learned a lot and it was fun to help you out. Would it be alright if I came with you on finishing the others?” Thorin replied, hopeful.

 

“Certainly! I was thinking  to have another garden as the same as the one that we just did, next to it of course. The next 3 areas since they get the most sun here, we can plant my prize winning tomatoes. The Elves love them and tend to them from my instructions whenever I plant them here. They use the tomatoes in their food and such. But yeah. I really appreciate it,” he said smiling.

 

Thorin had to swallow at that smile of Bilbo’s. It made his stomach do a flip because it was just so beautiful and it really made the Hobbit’s face light up.

 

“Well, it’s almost noon and I think I would like to rest after I have one a shower and two lunch,” Bilbo told him, walking over and grabbing his coat from the ground.

 

“I would like that as well,” Thorin replied, taking his coat from Bilbo and they both walked back to their respected rooms.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello!
> 
> Thank you for the favorites/follows/kudos/reviews. 
> 
> This chapter is like pulling teeth. I hope you guys enjoy this. I have been trying to not make this like the book or the movie. I like being different. Not many people can say that and actually confidently mean it. 
> 
> Another thing that I want to say is that, when someone assumes something and they accuse the subject itself, they don’t really know, in my opinion. They don’t see what happens when they say a certain word. They don’t know the emotions that are profoundly forever changed from just saying that word. 
> 
> The organ in our body has no bone, but can be razor sharp with greed; hatred, pity, selfishness, arrogance, jealousy, and we use it every day to Speak. Words are like weapons, they wound a lot deep then that of a bullet.
> 
> I will try and update “Fixing Them” though that will take a lot of planning. Go check it out if you are interested.
> 
> Please read and review,   
> Aloni143.

**_ Chapter 5: _ **

 

Bilbo looked the world upside down with his lungs struggling to get air back into them again.

 

“Get up, Baggins!” Thorin snarled at him.

 

He groaned as he rolled onto his right side.

 

“You will be dead within seconds!” Thorin hollered at him still.

 

The others were looking between their King and Burglar.

 

Bilbo got up slowly but when he got back on his feet, he dodges to his left. Thorin wasn’t going to let up on Bilbo.

 

“Move faster,” Thorin grunted at him.

 

“Trying!” Bilbo huffed back.

 

“It won’t save you in the heart of battle. Your enemy will have all the stamina if you are this worn out now,” Thorin snarled back.

 

“Oh and giving me this-”

 

CLANG!

 

Bilbo huffed and tried not to stagger backwards from that blow of swords.

 

So far, they were out of Rivendell. They snuck out and even though Bilbo wished that they could’ve stayed until the end of time, Bilbo and they walked the paths that lead them closer to the Misty Mountains.

 

Thorin was snapping at everyone. Bilbo didn’t quite understand the sudden mood swings, but he kept his mouth shut for now.

 

“Oomph!” Bilbo felt the wind get knocked out of him again as he got reacquainted with the ground.

 

“On your feet,” Thorin demanded.

 

Anger flooded his body, springing up and then jumping as he knocked Thorin to the ground. They rolled around, scuffling and glaring at one another.

 

“Alright lads, that’s enough,” Balin warned them both.

 

They didn’t listen as Thorin was forced to roll them onto Bilbo’s back. Suddenly, with surprise, Bilbo kicked forcibly upward and sprang up when Thorin was laying a few feet away from him.

 

Holding Sting up and his eyes locked onto Thorin who was slow to get up, Balin then said “Enough Thorin!”

 

That command made Thorin look at his old friend and walked away.

 

Bilbo didn’t know what had gotten into Thorin but, lately he has been like this for some time.

 

He walked after Thorin. Balin had already tried to stop the hobbit a couple of days ago, but this needed to be addressed.

 

The hobbit followed Thorin until they came to a small creek. Resting gently against the boulder, Orcrist gleamed in the sunlight.

 

“Thorin, what is this all about?” Bilbo asked him, standing near a pine tree.

 

“What does it matter,” Thorin growled low.

 

“Because this isn’t who I know of or thought I know of. What’s wrong, Pebble?” Bilbo asked, moving closer and gently sitting across from his friend.

 

Thorin didn’t blush anymore of his new nickname, but he did swallow that lump in his throat.

 

“This is going to be like pulling teeth, isn’t it?” Bilbo asked waiting patiently.

 

“Is it true that you would want to live with the Elves more so than….your own home?” Thorin asked him in return.

 

Then and only then did Bilbo wanted to curse himself.

 

“Of course not, but Lord Elrond is a family friend. He was just offering it up to me because he saw something in the future. I don’t know what he saw but, I do know that I won’t say no or yes until that time,” Bilbo explained to his friend.

 

“Oh,” Was all Thorin had said back, looking at the ground.

 

“Don’t worry about it. Besides Lord Elrond is a family friend of mine, just like Gandalf is to every race,” Bilbo said smiling a bit.

 

Thorin smirked at this and sighed heavily “I am sorry for being hard headed,”

 

“Nah, it’s just who you are. And I’m guessing, where we are going, that hard headedness will come into play. Forgiving is very hard to do, mostly when you felt like you’ve been cheated out,” Bilbo cryptically said back.

 

Thorin thought on that. Even though that Bilbo was highly younger than that of Thorin, he had a good eye on situations and life around him.

 

“So am I getting good on my sword?” Bilbo asked, changing the subject and holding out Sting.

 

“Still need to work on where your feet go. They are your balance supporters. If you can’t know where they are going, you will die,” Thorin answered him truthfully.

 

“Right and how do I go about correcting that?” Bilbo asked back, his eyes looked at ground.

 

“Know where your feet are. They give you balance, support, leverage when needed to bounce off of the ground….what are you looking at?” Thorin began but softly followed Bilbo’s gaze.

 

On the ground, within the drying mud was a set of enormous wolf tracks.

 

Thorin gently looked around and listened. It was faint but, the breathing of the beast was nearby.

 

Gently, he took Bilbo’s elbow and moved him away quietly from the creek. Bilbo followed Thorin as they made their way back to camp.

 

“Everyone: pack up,” Thorin ordered.

 

“Thorin, wait. You don’t think that that’s its plan? To herd us into a place where we-?”

 

“Bilbo, we’re not yet on top of the Misty Mountains. Close, yes, but not on top of them. The wolves are not finished with us yet,” Thorin cut him off.

 

Everyone grumbled but quickly packed their things. Flintric and Khod made sure that the fire was out and no food was left behind.

 

Luck was with them for the moment, the breeze flowed down wind and the wolves that have been hunting them didn’t know that the company snuck away.

 

For the rest of the day, no one talked. They kept walking and walking.

 

_‘Right now would be a great time to have Miron and the other ponies with us.’_ Bilbo thought but it was alright to walk too.

 

From then onward, Thorin banned them from having any kind of fires. Gloin wasn’t too pleased about that. In not having any kind of fires; except when only making dinner, Gloin went on and on and on about his family.

 

Bilbo ignored him for the most part, but other members of the company couldn’t handle the whining and moaning.

 

Bofur was teetering on the scale with Gloin. Every hour of the day that passed by, another spike of irritation flooded Bofur. And Bofur normally never gets irritated at anyone.

 

Bilbo pulled Bofur up front when Gloin was complaining again. No one said anything and finally after that, Gloin was peacefully quiet.

 

“4 year olds,” Bilbo huffed to himself.

 

Balin chuckled quietly to himself, as they kept walking.

 

Suddenly for a couple of days later, the sun came out. It was nice, bright and warmed the ground and company. Bilbo smiled at it being sunny. Thorin hid his blushing by pulling the map out and grunted in return if Bilbo asked him something.

 

But those sunny days were gone with the thickness of dark angry clouds. The rain started after the dwarves created a diversion for the wolves. Going down a path that was the correct one, the dwarves and Bilbo were quiet as the rain pelted down upon them.

 

“Thorin,” Bilbo whispered low, taking the dwarf’s hand.

 

Thorin looked at him; his hair wet just like the soaked clothes.

 

“I’ve heard and read that orcs or goblins make the Misty Mountains their homes. If there is caves…don’t sleep in it,” Bilbo told him as Balin looked confused.

 

“And how do you know that, laddie?” Balin asked him curiously.

 

“Lord Elrond,” Thorin whispered as it dawned on him.

 

“Yes. It is why he didn’t give us our ponies back. For that I’m thankful, but Thorin…”

 

“No, Bilbo. We’ve been out here for too long,” Thorin cut him off.

 

Heavily sighing, Bilbo glared at Thorin.

 

Thorin walked them on. He didn’t trust the first set of caves, keeping in mind what Bilbo had said. The others filed into the very cramped cave.

 

“Right,” Gloin said, getting some dry wood out.

 

How he did that, Bilbo will never know because his clothes were soaked through.

 

“No fires, Gloin,” Thorin told him sternly “Not in this small of a cave,”

 

Gloin grumbled and glared at Thorin.

 

“Flintric, Bofur, you two take watch,” Thorin then told them “Everyone; pick a spot and try to sleep,”

 

They picked their spots and ate once again, dried beef.

 

Thorin lay close to Bilbo and shared their dinner together.

 

“We shouldn’t-”

 

“I’m not going to let anything happen,” Thorin interrupted him softly.

 

Bilbo huffed and said “Don’t make promises that you can’t keep, Thorin,”

 

Thorin nodded and ate in silence. Pretty soon, Bilbo was fast asleep against Thorin’s chest.

 

The Dwarf King didn’t know what to do as he gently put their cloaks over them. Falling asleep was easy for him as the others of their company smirked and smiled at the two.

 

Flintric stood near the mouth of the small cramped cave as Bofur smiled and whispered low “I never thought that those two would finally make a move,”

 

“And why would it be so hard to believe?” Flintric whispered back.

 

“Because we know our hobbit is very stubborn and even though everyone loves him, it takes a lot to get to his heart,” Bofur stated back, pulling out his pipe and getting ready for a good smoke.

 

“Will his people, the hobbit,” Khod began “approve of such…union?”

 

“No, but Bilbo isn’t just like his kin. Sure, he’s the great grandson of their late king or Thain as they call it but, he takes after his mother on that,” Bofur supplied vaguely.

 

“Prince!?” Khod and Flintric exclaimed.

 

“Aye,” Bofur and everyone murmured back.

 

“And why would a Prince of the Shire help us?” Khod asked next.

 

“Because he’s our friend and wants to help us. Plus isn’t it a good thing to have people on our side?” Bofur countered back.

 

“Drop it Khod,” Flintric stated next, not wanting to wake up his oldest brother.

 

The others soon fell asleep. Flintric and Bofur kept a watch on anything happening.

 

The rain and wind outside of the cave whip and pelted down. Flashes of lightning lit the cave up. Hours passed and nothing happened. It was difficult to stay up when you were so tired from hiking.

 

No one saw or heard the ground open up. No one saw the goblins leapt up out of the ground.

 

Bilbo tried to shout but they were all falling. He hit a boulder of some sort which pushed him further from the group.

 

“BILBO!” Thorin roared when the dwarves landed in a pen.

 

Bilbo however screamed as he reached out and grabbed onto some rope.

 

Dangling and swinging, Bilbo clung on with all his might when the goblins then rushed to the make shaft pen.

 

“Let me go!” Nori shouted.

 

The others were the same but were pushed and forced to walk away.

 

“Bilbo! Bilbo!” Thorin’s voice rang high above the others.

 

Bilbo looked up when he heard snarling above him. Taking Sting out, he stabbed up into the goblin from above him. But in doing so made not just the goblin fall but, him as well.

 

Down, down, down they both went.

 

Not knowing that he was knocked out, Bilbo laid there as the goblin had fallen on the rocks below them. Bilbo had landed in an area of soft massive mushrooms. His sword, Sting, was hidden under the broken leaves when he woke slowly up.

 

The heavy breathing of someone that might have had horrible cold in their throat could be heard. Then pale reflective round eyes came into view.

 

Bilbo felt his stomach twist. What in the world was this creature? Why was it walking on all four limbs? Didn’t this thing eat at all? Far too skinny for a hobbit’s liking that’s for sure.

 

The only thing that had any piece of clothing on was an old cloth covering the front and back parts of this creature. Bilbo stayed completely still when the goblin woke up.

 

He lowered himself to the ground even more when he heard the struggling and the sick sound of a rock hitting something.

 

SMACK! SMACK!

 

Then, soft sound could be heard. It wasn’t like that of a voice but, a soft sound of metal hitting the ground.

 

Bilbo peaked through an open tare in the mushrooms and saw that the creature was dragging the goblin into a cavern, further into the mountain. When it was gone and he couldn’t hear anything, Bilbo stood up, looked around for his sword. He was about to put it away when something glittered that caught his attention.

 

Bending down, Bilbo picked up the gold ring and put it in his coat pocket. He decided to not stick around here any much longer. He didn’t know when that creature will be back.

 

He hurried through the confusing maze of rock when he heard a gurgling scream. Heart in his throat, Bilbo at once had his hand in his coat pocket.

 

That creature had just found out that this ring of his was missing.

 

So, Bilbo did what anyone would normally do. He ran.

 

Weaving in and out of dead ends and not really knowing where this creature was, Bilbo could hear the coughing heavy breathing creature.

 

What Bilbo didn’t see was a stick. He tripped and fell onto his back when the ring flew up into the air; twirling over itself, and he stuck his hand up. It slid nearly perfectly onto his middle finger.

 

It was like being plunged into an underwater world. The voice were echoed, the colors were grayed and blurry.

 

Then the creature suddenly appeared. A mad gleam was in its eyes and with what very little sharp teeth it had, bared out.

 

Bilbo stayed completely still, holding his breath too.

 

“Wait!” it cried out and scampered off.

 

Ever so slowly, Bilbo got to his feet. Not knowing how to get out of here, he followed the weird mad creature.

 

A lot of lefts, a lot of rights and what felt like going around in circles, Bilbo was finally led out of the caverns of the Misty Mountains.

 

When he saw Gandalf with the company running by, Bilbo looked shocked but very carefully, he sneaked around this horrid creature and ran to the exit.

 

“MY PREICOUS IS LOST!” he heard when it wailed in agony.

 

Bilbo didn’t look back, he ran after the company.

 

“And Bombur,” Gandalf said, counting all of the dwarves with content sigh.

 

“Bilbo,” Thorin mourned.

 

“Where is he? Where is our hobbit?” Gandalf demanded when he heard this.

 

“He fell from our group in that make shift pen of the goblins. He held onto some rope but it snapped when a goblin attacked him,” Thorin gravely explained to the gray old wizard.

 

Everyone went completely still.

 

“No…” Bofur said in disbelief.

 

“The lads back home are not going to like this,” Dwalin agreed with Bofur.

 

Gandalf however, looked utterly crushed. No one knew how old the wizard was, but he suddenly looked very old. Like the weight of the world was on his shoulders and when he sat down, he had his pointy gray hat in hand with his staff in his other.

 

“He wouldn’t have made it out here anyway,” Khod huffed in annoyance.

 

Thorin pulled out Orcrist and said low “You do not know our hobbit. You do not know what he has gone through and do not dare say anything more on him,”

 

Flintric pulled Khod away from his highly livid brother and said “True we do not know him, but it just seems like a burden to have him with us,”

 

“No, I am not,” Bilbo’s voice rang out as he stepped out from the tree.

 

Everyone gasped but also rushed to the hobbit in pure happiness. Hugs, ruffling of the hair and greetings that the dwarves that knew him were ecstatic to have him back.

 

“How did you survive?” Thorin asked at once.

 

“I landed on some very large mushrooms. I was lost and saw some goblins move upward. Knowing that that was my best chance, I followed behind them carefully. They showed me the way out and led me to you guys running from something to the exit,” Bilbo replied back, smiling up at Thorin.

 

He then looked at Flintric and Khod and said to them “I know you don’t think I am worth it, coming all this way with you and your kin, but I do know what it’s like to not be welcomed by anybody. I know that you have lost your home to that of the dragon. I also know that he is still in there, knowing the scent of dwarf. I am a hobbit. Smaug wouldn’t know the scent of a hobbit like he does with that of you: a Dwarf,”

 

Everyone that knew him, stood behind Bilbo on his words.

 

“Just because I have a home, doesn’t mean I can’t help you get your home back. Because I will. That is why I am here. Do not think so lowly of me,” Bilbo finished and then did something that had everyone surprised.

 

He leaned up and kissed Thorin on the lips.

 

The dwarves; Dwalin, Balin, Bofur, Bifur, Bombur, Nori, Dori and Ori, all cheered happily for the two.

 

Then a howl echoed across the air and made Bilbo’s air on his arms stand up in fright.

 

“Run! Run!” Gandalf ordered them as they ran down the mountain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello!
> 
> Thank you for the favorites/follows/kudos/reviews. 
> 
> This chapter is like pulling teeth. I hope you guys enjoy this. I have been trying to not make this like the book or the movie. I like being different. Not many people can say that and actually confidently mean it. 
> 
> Another thing that I want to say is that, when someone assumes something and they accuse the subject itself, they don’t really know, in my opinion. They don’t see what happens when they say a certain word. They don’t know the emotions that are profoundly forever changed from just saying that word. 
> 
> The organ in our body has no bone, but can be razor sharp with greed; hatred, pity, selfishness, arrogance, jealousy, and we use it every day to Speak. Words are like weapons, they wound a lot deep then that of a bullet.
> 
> I will try and update “Fixing Them” though that will take a lot of planning. Go check it out if you are interested.
> 
> Please read and review,   
> Aloni143.


	6. Chapter 6

**_ Chapter 6: _ **

 

Bilbo scrambled to get to Thorin on the Carrock.

 

“Thorin! Thorin!” he shouted in fright.

 

It was so utterly stupid for the king to do this. It wasn’t necessary!

 

“Thorin!” Bilbo shouted again as Balin held him back.

 

Gandalf knelt down and was muttering some kind of elvish words.

 

“Easy Lad,” Balin whispered, wrapping his arms around the trembling hobbit.

 

“Thorin!” Bilbo shouted again when nothing happened.

 

“Will you shut your trap!” Khod snarled at him.

 

“I will not! I’ve known him since I was a baby and love him a lot!” Bilbo rounded on Khod.

 

Khod didn’t look too good for ware. Half of his face was covered in black embers and some of his clothes were singed.

 

Flintric was also unconscious as Gandalf was between the two Durin heirs. Flintric looked more burnt then that of anyone else in the company.

 

“No one will accept it, Hobbit,” Khod stated the ugly truth.

 

Bilbo ignored the sharp barbs from Khod’s words. Dwalin forced himself between the two and glared whole heartedly at Khod.

 

Everyone formed a circle around the brothers as Flintric was the first to wake up. Bilbo swallowed nervously as Gandalf kept muttering and murmuring to the lifeless Thorin.

 

“Please…” He begged, not wanting to come to grips that Thorin was lost to them all.

 

How it all started was when Gandalf told them all to run.

 

The wolves had finally found them at last and herded them to a cliff. The pine trees were their only hope of surviving.

 

It was one large massive wolf that was completely white that seemed more human than that of the rest; which were snipping and snapping at the branches of where the company was huddled up on.

 

Bilbo will never forget how it just stood there, one leg resting and growling and barking at the others. It was strangely odd.

 

The dwarves and wizard kept the wolves at bay with lighting Pinecones into a fiery blaze and throwing them down at the wolves and ground.

 

What really got Bilbo’s poor little heart going was when Flintric had jumped up, charged at the wolves and running through the flames. Half of his cloak was already eaten away from the licking flames and trying to fight off the pack of wolves.

 

Thorin couldn’t take it anymore so he charge after his only brother with Dwalin, Gloin and Nori right behind him.

 

The tree had loosened its roots and was hanging far over the cliff. Many of them had to hold on until the eagles came.

 

Shaking himself from the recent memory, Bilbo wriggled himself free from Balin and hurried over to Thorin’s body. Gandalf was still murmuring away.

 

“Thorin, come on. Don’t die now,” Bilbo urgently, fears gripping him more and more.

 

The seconds stretched longer and longer.

 

Bilbo leaned down, softly kissed Thorin on the lips and then leaned over to his ear whispering “Thi. Thi,”

 

The others were crying silently as Flintric looked on with despair. It was the most _ridiculous_ thing that he had ever done.

 

Bilbo then started to cry himself. The earthquake shakes wracked his body.

 

“I’m here,” he barely heard from Thorin.

 

He looked up in shock “What?”

 

Thorin blinked and smiled up at him with “I’m here, little one,”

 

“THI!” Bilbo exclaimed and wrapped his arms around Thorin in a tight hug.

 

Thorin hugged him back and coughed a bit.

 

THWACK!

 

“AH! Bilbo!” Thorin shouted at him.

 

“DO NOT EVER DO THAT TO ME NEVER AGAIN!” Bilbo yelled back at him.

 

Thorin sat up and winced a bit.

 

“I would have to agree, Thorin, you gave quite a scare,” Balin chimed in too.

 

“I am sorry,” Thorin told them all after he got to his feet.

 

“Wait until I tell Dis this,” Bilbo huffed at him.

 

“What? Bilbo, no! She doesn’t-”

 

“Ooh yes she does need to know! An extra smack to the back of the head will make me better,” Bilbo cut in, glaring at Thorin.

 

Oin walked over, Thorin sat down as Flintric walked over to them.

 

“I am sorry. I didn’t know that the wolves would do to you, Thorin,” Flintric stressed worriedly to him.

 

“I am alright. Just let me ask you, are you alright?” Thorin asked looking at his youngest brother up and down for injuries.

 

Besides the scratches and missing cloak, Flintric replied “I’m fine. Sore but, I’m fine,”

 

“Remind me to whack the both of you with a stick,” Bilbo muttered, snuggling into Thorin’s chest after Oin moved away.

 

Some of the company chuckled at this and left those two alone.

 

“I am fine, Bilbo,” Thorin said when Bombur handed out the beef jerky.

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Bilbo shrugged it off but didn’t move away.

 

It wasn’t until that the sun was setting and that everyone was full, that Thorin stood up. Nearly everyone else in the company stood behind him as he pointed out to Bilbo.

 

“See that lonely mountain?” Thorin asked him, smiling.

 

“Yeah? What about it…wait? That can’t be…” Bilbo said, smiling too.

 

“Erebor. Our home,” Thorin told him, wrapping his arms around the hobbit’s waist and resting his chin on top of Bilbo’s curly ember smelling hair.

 

“If there ever was a tale, this is the most exciting one that I have yet to be a part of,” Gandalf said to them all.

 

“Hush, daft old wizard,” Bilbo scuffed back.

 

The company chuckled at that.

 

“The wolves won’t travel far. The Eagles have nearly picked them off. But there is a place, where we can seek shelter,” Gandalf continued on as if he didn’t hear that snarky remark.

 

“What shelter? Whose place are you talking about?” Balin asked him confused.

 

“He is a friend of Radagast, The Brown. And if I also recall, where this place is located is also where Hobbits used to live,” Gandalf informed them all.

 

Bilbo looked over at Gandalf and asked “What do you mean, Gandalf?”

 

 Everyone sat around the wizard as he ate his beef jerky slowly.

 

“Long ago, when it was the 2nd age of Middle-Earth, there was a group of hobbits that lived near the Anduin River. They were the friendliest of the hobbits and were fishermen. The Stoors is what other races and big folk called them.

 

They lived in or around some would say-”

 

“The Gladden Fields,” Bilbo muttered as he looked at Gandalf with a serious expression.

 

“Yes. I take it Belladonna told you these forgotten tales of the Wandering Years?” Gandalf asked him.

 

“Yes. My mother did. She also told a story where it was true. Where a hobbit had killed his fellow friend near the river back. That no one could figure out who did it at first. It wasn’t until an older grandmother hobbit that had kicked out her deceiving grandson and that he was the one who did it,” Bilbo said, his voice was far away with his memories.

 

Everyone looked at Bilbo and then back to Gandalf.

 

“Yes. Your mother would tell you that tale. And hence why the Myth of hobbits drowning came into play,” Gandalf agreed with him.

 

“What? Hobbits can’t swim?” Gloin asked in shock.

 

“No, we don’t. We don’t want to learn and are afraid of swimming,” Bilbo answered him, looking at the fire that was suddenly there.

 

Gloin and Oin were giving Thorin a look that clearly stated _‘we_ are _having a fire. End of story!’_

 

“What was the field again?” Ori asked, his quill in hand as he had his book open.

 

“Gladden Fields. It was once a lake, in the first age. Now it is but a marsh after many years of sediment pooling in. No one goes in and no one goes out,” Gandalf flatly told him.

 

Ori nodded and then asked “So this person that we’re seeking shelter, his place is close to these fields?”

 

“Yes. Though I do hope he will take us in,” Gandalf replied, looking at the flickering flames.

 

It was only then that Bilbo gasped and saw one of the massive eagles drop from the sky. Bilbo at once could easily see the white flicks that looked like a grand crown on top of its head.

 

“Ah. The Great Eagle has presented his presence to us,” Gandalf said cheerfully.

 

Bilbo stood up as his eyes got as big as saucer plates when the Eagle glided down, wings out and landed gracefully at the tip of the Carrock.

 

Gandalf stood up and bowed to the Eagle as it looked at Gandalf with a questionable gaze.

 

“Wolves have been after us since Rivendell. We do not know who is commanding them to pursue us so, but they are. We will be going to Beorn’s Hall after a rest upon here, The Carrock,” Gandalf explained to him.

 

The proud Eagle looked down at Bilbo with a keen gleam.

 

“This is Bilbo Baggins of Hobbiton, of the Shire. I do believe more than once, you have seen that part of the world,” Gandalf introduced the two.

 

“Uh…Hello,” Bilbo said, standing up and walking a bit closer to him.

 

Lowering his head, the Eagle nodded to him in greetings.

 

“Can’t he speak?” Bilbo asked Gandalf.

 

“The Eagles of Manwe used to speak in the First Age. However, since they do not bother with anyone, I do believe they have forgotten to do so,” Gandalf replied as the Great Eagle nodded to that.

 

“Oh. Well, thank you for coming to our aid and assistance. We will be out of your feathers in the morning,” Bilbo promised to him.

 

A sharp cry came from the Great Eagle and stood tall, his wings in a resting state.

 

“He will guide us to Beorn’s and then leave us to continue our journey,” Gandalf translated to them all.

 

Thorin walked up when the Great Eagle looked directly at him.

 

No one spoke. They just watched.

 

“Thank you for letting us stay upon the Carrock and for the night. We will not hunt anything here,” Thorin promised to him.

 

The Great Eagle nodded before he opened his left wing and then pulled a couple of golden feathers. Bilbo gasped at this.

 

The Great Eagle then lowered his head to Bilbo with a gleam. Bilbo knew that kind of gleam. It was a gleam that spoke of many promises and friendship.

 

“Thank you,” Bilbo said, gently taking hold of the feathers.

 

The Great Eagle cried out as couple more of the feathers from its beak fell loose and floated to Ori. The young dwarf caught them and held them tight.

 

Spreading his great wings, the Great Eagle flapped his wing until he caught the wind current and flew high up into the sky.

 

“You will not find a finer quill than that of an Eagle’s feather,” Gandalf told the two story tellers.

 

“We will cherish them both,” Bilbo vowed as Ori nodded in utter disbelief.

 

“Good. Now, get some sleep. We don’t want to break our promise to the King of Eagles now,” Gandalf said to them all.

 

“The King-?”

 

“The King of the Eagles you just met,” Gandalf cut in.

 

“Bilbo, sleep would be nice right about now,” Thorin said to him.

 

Heavily sighing, Bilbo nodded and put his new golden eagle feathers into his pack. The rest of the company settled down and started to fall asleep.

 

 

* * *

 

It wasn’t until the door slammed shut that they all let out a sigh of relief.

 

WHAM!

 

Roaring could be heard just on the other side of the thick wooden door.

 

“Just what was that!?” Bilbo exclaimed to Gandalf, still holding Sting out.

 

“That was Beorn. He’s a Skin-changer. Sometimes he is great strong brown bear, others he is a man. Ancient his race is, he is the last of his kind around Middle-Earth. Now, get some rest. No hunting or hurting any animals that you see here. They will report back to him,” Gandalf warned them all.

 

They shuffled around the massive house. What stunned them most was that the barn was also connected to the house.

 

Bilbo walked into the kitchen and looked at Thorin.

 

“I do not trust this person, Bilbo,” Thorin whispered low.

 

“If he can protect us from that pack of wolves or wargs, then I do not mind staying here. We got some fish that we caught in the streams. Maybe we can make that?” Bilbo whispered low.

 

“Yeah, just remember what Gandalf said though,” Thorin told him, leaning over and softly kissing Bilbo on the cheek.

 

Bilbo explained to one of the goats and dogs that he caught the fish before they entered Beorn’s house. They walked outside and Bilbo just shrugged.

 

He cooked the fish up and made some noodles with it. The dwarves ate it all up. Knowing that they haven’t had a decent meal since they left Rivendell, so there was nothing left for leftovers.

 

Then the lamb and a massive hound walked into the house. Bilbo swallowed nervously at the hound.

 

“They are here to tell you, that no one after tonight, will eat meat. Beorn forbids it and since you caught those trout before entering his lands, they will let this pass. But for now, they would like for you, Bilbo, to help them make a honey crumble cake and carrots,” Gandalf told him and everyone else.

 

“Of course! Just show me where the stuff is and I’ll have it all on the table soon,” Bilbo told the lamb.

 

The others sorted out their sleeping arrangements in the stalls of the barn. It was very clear that Thorin and Bilbo slept next to one another in a bedroom to themselves.

 

Thorin did nothing to correct this, knowing that it went against customs until both Thorin and Bilbo were wed to each other. Thorin also knew that Khod voiced a lot against their union.

 

“What would be your favorite dish to eat?” Thorin asked Bilbo as he watched the hobbit get bowls and whisks and other stuff.

 

“That is easy. Fish and chips. What about you?” Bilbo replied, looking over at Thorin with a smile.

 

“Smoked ribs and roasted chicken,” Thorin said to him, smiling at the memory of it.

 

“Will you two quit with the talking of meat? I’m again, getting hungry over here!” Gloin huffed at them.

 

This got some of the dwarves in nodding in agreement or chuckling.

 

“Well, the desserts will be finished in an hour,” Bilbo told them all.

 

Thorin helped Bilbo get the crumbling carrot cake into the oven and they both cleaned up their mess.

 

“What does a King of Erebor or the King of the Dwarves do when he has free time?” Bilbo asked Thorin as they cleaned the dishes up.

 

“If I have free time, I will be in the forges. I may not be as well as some of the other smithies but, I do know how to make a sword,” Thorin replied, drying the dishes.

 

“And if you don’t want to do that?” Bilbo pressed for more; scrubbing at a pan.

 

“I guess go for a walk. At times I forget what it’s like to be by myself and it’s nice to have that every once in a while,” Thorin answered watching Bilbo scrub at that pan.

 

“Uh huh,” he replied, putting more pressure onto the pan.

 

Before long, large fingers wrapped around the soapy watered wrinkly smaller fingers of that of the hobbit.

 

“It won’t come clean, Bilbo. Just leave it here,” Thorin told him softly.

 

Bilbo glanced up with a huff of defeat and said “Alright. But it will bug me no matter what,”

 

“I bet it will. Now how is the cake coming along?” Thorin asked him curiously.

 

“AAH! The cake!” he shrieked and dashed over to the oven.

 

The other dwarves smiled and just watched from the large wooden table. In many ways, it felt like that they were back in Bag-End.

 

Bilbo got the cake out and sighed with “Ooh thank you, Thorin. I would’ve burnt it,”

 

“And that would’ve been bad,” Thorin agreed with him.

 

“Almost insulting but, yes,” Bilbo muttered back as he let the cake cool off.

 

The sweet smell of the carrots floated about the house and stable. The Dwarves tried to wait patiently until their slice of cake was in front of them.

 

“This is good…” Bofur said, smiling.

 

“Mmm!” Dwalin just hummed in agreement.

 

Everyone had to give credit to Bilbo.

 

“I’m glad all of you like it so,” Bilbo told them, getting his own large slice of cake.

 

Thorin leaned over and sneaked a forkful. Bilbo didn’t say anything on it but, the dwarves who know Bilbo the most know that that move won’t go unpunished.

 

Later on when the sun was setting and everyone was asleep so early in the evening; Bilbo snuggled up against Thorin’s chest and sighed.

 

“Bilbo,” Thorin whispered low.

 

“Hush Thorin, sleep,” Bilbo whispered back.

 

Thorin sighed heavily when he felt his hobbit snuggle closer and closer to his body. It was near torture for the Dwarf King.

 

Bofur, Balin, Dwalin, Nori and Gandalf just smiled at this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello!
> 
> I know, I know. I left you guys on a cliff hanger. Evil me, bad me. But for now you will have to deal with it.
> 
> I know that in Tolkien’s works, that animals can talk like normal people can. However, I am keeping to what Peter Jackson had done with the animals; keep them like animals but have great personalities. 
> 
> Okay I need to get this out of the way. I know that I don’t share a lot of my personal life with anyone here on the Net. I try to keep it away from here but, at times-like now-it needs to overlap.
> 
> Last week and weekend have really been stressful for me. Trying to find a job, trying to help my mom out and figuring out when is the right time to sit down and write. 
> 
> In many ways, I’m not very prideful, but when it comes to expectations that my mother demands that I follow, I rebel. 
> 
> Nothing in this world makes me happier then to sit and write. Nothing can compare my love and pure utter joy of just writing. It doesn’t matter if it’s for my original book or my fan fics. I LOVE Writing.
> 
> So when my own mother doesn’t support me, it hurts. I don’t talk about it, I don’t say how much it hurts me to hear that I will not make it and that the only way for me is to get a job. Granted, yeah I need to, but I always felt like it was utterly wrong. I don’t want to fight it; I want to be happy about what I am doing.
> 
> Lately, I have been noticing that a lot of the celebrities that I just enjoy and just Love their craft of acting, because come on, there is a million different ways a person can act, that they are complaining and whining and bitching about their work, it hurts. It hurts to see them start to hate what they just love to do. It would be like me saying that I hate writing. You get to live your dream and I can’t with mine.
> 
> My favorite actors, which are a very long list, but my top main 5 actors are that of Richard Armitage, Martin Freeman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Pine and Chris Pratt. 2 of the top 3 have complained so much it makes me sick with worry. Like seriously, you are complaining that much to do a job that the rest of us would LOVE to do? Aren’t you grateful? So what the fans are comparing you to what a Professor created? So what that the fans love you that much from a fandom that is the Grandfather of all Mysteries? It’s not right to blame the fans of their love for what you are making. It’s not anyone else’s fault but the people who are higher up than a fan.
> 
> I just do not understand. I want to understand, truly I do, and because all I see is a bunch of 40’s being 3 years old. And that is utterly Sad. 
> 
> Going back to my point. When my own world is under a lot of distress and I need to escape it just for a little while, I lean towards my favorite actor’s work. The Hobbit is my comfort blanket. I don’t care if I re-watch it until the DVD goes thin. I don’t care if I fall asleep, wake up and not even flinch that an Orc just got his head cut off. I do not care.
> 
> So the reason why I apologies over on twitter is because of my personal life was overlapping into and onto the Net. I don’t like it. I wish that there were other ways to release it better besides walking around my neighbor a lot.
> 
> I hope that things on my end will calm down. I know I can’t take any more of it. I just can’t. 
> 
> When will there another update? I don’t know. If you guys want to talk more about this, please feel free to do so. I’m open to anything but I do have my limits.
> 
> Thank you for reading and reviewing,  
> Alonia143.


	7. Chapter 7

**_ Chapter 7: _ **

 

Bilbo walked around Beorn’s house. Sure the giant bear was out somewhere in the woods, but Bilbo knew he wasn’t around.

 

The sun was out, the massive bees buzzed and flew lazily around to the flowers. The horses that were kept in a pasture were nickering and galloping about; bucking and throwing their heads.

 

Seeing a nice spot, Bilbo got to his hands and knees and just started to pull the weeds up.

 

“Just what are you doing, Bilbo?” Thorin’s deep rich voice greeted his ears.

 

“Gardening,” he simply said back, looking over his shoulder and up at Thorin.

 

Thorin had difficulties breathing and swallowing at the sight before him. Bilbo smirked up at him and turned back around as he wiggled his butt.

 

_‘Oh Mahal,’_ Thorin’s only thought.

 

“Do…uh …do you need any help?” Thorin asked, blushing heavily.

 

“Sure. Let’s see if your skills from Rivendell have sharpened,” Bilbo replied, glancing once more over his shoulder and smiling up at Thorin.

 

Thorin nodded and unlike Frerin who was lightly practice fighting with that of Nori and Bifur, today Thorin was going to garden with his hobbit.

 

_‘He’s not_ my _hobbit. …not yet,’_ Thorin thought to himself as he got to his knees.

 

“These are highly different from Rivendell’s gardens,” Thorin commented when he saw the flowers.

 

True, the leaves looked smaller, the stems vibrant green with deep colors. Here, in Beorn’s garden, the leaves looked bigger, the stems just a plain green and the colors more vibrant against the yellowing grass.

 

“Of course it is. Now, what is that? Weed or Flower?” Bilbo replied back, pointing to the flower nearest to Thorin.

 

“Uh…I don’t know,” He softly replied back, looking shyly at Bilbo for help.

 

“Flower. This here, this is a weed. Sure a dandle lion may look like a flower, but it’s not. It’s a weed that its roots go highly down and to get them out is highly difficult. You’ll see in a moment. It strangles the ground and the flowers around it. At times, though I am highly against having them in my gardens, I wish that I had whole group of goats. They eat just about anything; which is highly bad for my prize winning tomatoes and other stuff in my gardens, but they keep the nasty thicker bushes and blackberry bushes away,” Bilbo brattled on.

 

Thorin smirked at this and watched Bilbo try with all his might to get the dandle lion out of the ground.

 

SNAP!

 

“AAAH!” was all Thorin heard with a THUMP!

 

“Bilbo!” He said, rushing over as Bilbo wasn’t getting up right away.

 

The others soon came running towards them with their weapons drawn, screaming in terror to ward off whoever was attacking their King and Hobbit.

 

“Bilbo…Bilbo!” Thorin demanded when Bilbo wasn’t moving.

 

“The wind is knocked out of him, Thorin. Back up, to give him some breather room,” Oin huffed back at him.

 

Bilbo rolled slowly over onto his side; getting his wind back slowly by the minute.

 

“What in Durin’s beard happened!?” Gloin demanded to know from Thorin.

 

“We are gardening. He was explaining to me how hard it was to get this” Thorin explained as he held up the dangerous dandle lion with its long half a foot of spidery roots “out of the ground,”

 

“That would cause any one; man, dwarf, hobbit or elf, to fly onto their backs,” Balin wisely defused the situation more.

 

The others nodded and then walked back to the training area. Ori and Dori helped Bilbo to his feet when he was able to breathe normally again.

 

“And they say gardening is a safe hobby,” Dwalin deadpanned.

 

“It is…just dandle lions are just like real lions: Tough,” Bilbo chuckled back at him.

 

The rest of the dwarves walked back, shaking their heads at this. Thorin looked Bilbo over with his eyes worriedly as he was hesitant on continuing.

 

As if sensing this Bilbo then said “Come on, let’s get back to it. It won’t clean itself up you know,”

 

“You’re sure about this?” Thorin asked him, not moving an inch.

 

“Yes, I am. Now, after we clean and clear this section, we can plant, those flowers near the shed, to here,” Bilbo said to him, taking his hand and pulling Thorin back to their spot again.

 

This time, Dori and Ori along with Dwalin watched over them.

 

It was sweet to see their mighty battled worn king digging and helping Bilbo with his gardening. Back in Rivendell, it was just them. No one dared to interrupt these two. Now, it felt like it was needed.

 

When it was close to 2 PM, Bilbo smiled at their hard work. The flowers that they planted looked thankful for digging their interconnected roots more into the ground then the pots that they were in.

 

“Those will help with my bees,” They heard the rough low voice from behind them.

 

Bilbo squeaked and turned to see Beorn in his human form.

 

“You’re welcome, Mister Bear,” Bilbo replied back, hiding a bit behind Thorin.

 

“My name is Beorn, little bunny. You and your friends are not welcomed here. However, I will think otherwise if you can tell me a story,” Beorn growled low.

 

Bilbo swallowed when he looked over his shoulder and saw that the rest of the company was there with that of Gandalf.

 

“Well uh…it would be rude to not know who we all are. So let me introduce everyone and myself. I’m Bilbo Baggins of the Shire. This family group here, is Nori, Dori and Ori. This group here is Dwalin and Balin. Here we have Bifur, Bofur and Bombur. Then we have Frerin, Thorin and Khod. The gray grandfather looking guy is a friend of Radagast the Brown and his old name is Gandalf the Gray,” Bilbo snarky introduced everyone to Beorn.

 

Gandalf huffed and said back “Hobbits,”

 

Nori and Bofur chuckled at this.

 

“I do not like dwarves,” Beorn simply stated to them all.

 

“Why not?” Bilbo asked him curiously.

 

“Because, they are blind. Greed fills their hearts and forgets about anything else. Blind to those who need more than just shelter,” Beorn growled.

 

“And if I were to tell you that they are like that because the world didn’t care about them? What would you say?” Bilbo dared back.

 

Not one of the dwarves or Gandalf for that matter said anything.

 

Beorn looked at Bilbo and said “You are a very strange little fellow. I can see that these dwarves are important to you. But Mark my words: When they see the gold within that dormant mountain, you will not matter at all,”

 

This made only Khod shout out “And you are only an old slave!”

 

Heavily rolling his eyes, Bilbo looked at Frerin who was pushing Khod away.

 

“Beorn, please understand,” Bilbo said to him as Beorn glared.

 

“And what can you make me understand the ways of a dwarf?” Beorn snarled low.

 

“We are deeply sorry and apologize for offending you. A pack of wargs have been after us since Bree. They have chased us to the Misty Mountains and with the good grace of the Eagles, we came here,” Bilbo pleaded to him.

 

Beorn looked down at Bilbo with guarded eyes.

 

“If your story is true, then I will grant you to stay. But know where I stand with your little friends,” Beorn told him and then strode into the forest.

 

The birds suddenly started to chirp and sing their songs once more. The horses snorted and trotted away from the group.

 

Heavily sighing Bilbo turned to Balin with “Why did Khod snap at Beorn? He and I were only expressing the truth?”

 

“Aye, but laddie, understand that speaking the Truth is like that of a double edge sword: you still get cut no matter how mindful you are of it,” Balin replied back, shaking his head where Frerin and Khod had disappeared to.

 

Bilbo shook his head muttering far too low for anyone but Thorin to hear.

 

That afternoon, Thorin and Bilbo weeded and planted all of the plants that were getting too big for their flower pots in Beorn’s garden. The bees buzzed happily for the flowers to be in the ground.

 

It was after Thorin had his bath that he sat on the ground with Bilbo on a bucket, softly combing his damp dark dripping black hair. No one said a word to Bilbo.

 

Balin and Frerin watched the pair with hawk like eyes.

 

“I wonder…what do these hairstyles mean?” Bilbo asked Thorin.

 

“They can mean different simple things. Family, Royal, gender,” Thorin replied back to him.

 

“Hmm. So yours mean what exactly?” Bilbo asked, following the pattern from the parchment that Balin drew up.

 

“Royal, Durin, King and the bead itself also gives what trade we are skilled in. Plus protection,” Thorin replied back, holding up his bead.

 

Bilbo stopped to look at it closely.

 

It had weird lines and squiggles on it.

 

“Uh…” Bilbo said in confusion.

 

“The hour glass shape on top of the bead, here, means king, family of Durin and Royal. The wavy part going through the hourglass means my time as a black smith,” Thorin explained to him.

 

“Oh! I see it now. But to anyone who doesn’t know this…it would just look-”

 

“Look normal or weird. Just a plain bead to their eye. When you get your own set, which I think you would like of your own, you can design it anyway you like. Just so long as it’s not complicated for me to make,” Thorin finished for him, smiling.

 

There was a huge hush at this point from their friends.

 

“I would love that. But what about wood? I mean…can you do that?” Bilbo replied, going back to fixing Thorin’s hair up again.

 

“I could, but wood doesn’t last as metal do. True, there are certain types that can be hardened over time, like Oak, but the shape of it can chip away,” Thorin said, blushing as he looked at his foot.

 

“Well… I guess Mithril will just have to do,” Bilbo said off handedly.

 

Thorin stilled at that.

 

A memory from long, long, long ago filtered into his mind.

 

_“Oh, my little pebble. When you find your One, you will give him Mithril,” a sweet voice greeted his ears._

_“But Ma, if SHE doesn’t like it, what do I do then?” A very young little Thorin replied back._

_His mother chuckled and scooped up a bright eyed Thorin onto her lap “You will know what to do, my little pebble. And he will love it,”_

 

“Thorin? Thorin?” Bilbo asked him, softly shaking his shoulder.

 

Thorin snapped out of it and looked up at Bilbo in question.

 

“Oh dear. I hope I wasn’t that hard of yanking your hair-?”

 

“No, no, Bilbo. Just an old memory. Thank you for braiding my hair,” Thorin interrupted him and stood up.

 

“Oh. Well….you’re welcome,” Bilbo replied as he watched Thorin walk outside.

 

Balin walked outside to talk to Thorin on what exactly happened. Meanwhile Dwalin stepped forward and looked at the very confused hobbit.

 

“He has a lot of memories. One probably popped up unexpectedly. Do not worry. He’ll be back to normal,” Dwalin said to him.

 

“I …I didn’t mean to,” Bilbo replied back, blushing a bit.

 

“As I said, Bilbo, he will be fine. Though requesting mithril is…odd,” Dwalin said, looking the hobbit in the eye.

 

“Did I say that? I was just focusing on what needed to be done,” Bilbo said and wringed his fingers together.

 

“Do not worry, Bilbo,” Gandalf told him “How about you fix us that dinner,”

 

“Oh! Right!” He said and trotted off into the kitchen.

 

Completely missing the shared looked between Dwalin and Gandalf.

 

A couple of hours later, Bilbo was being hugged from behind.

 

“Ooh!” He said out of surprise and then looked up.

 

Thorin had his eyes closed and Bilbo didn’t comment that this great warrior had cried over something that was near and dear to his heart.

 

“Hi,” Bilbo said to him smiling up at him.

 

“Hello,” He replied and then just hugged Bilbo close to him.

 

Bilbo remained silent. He knew that whatever had gone on between Balin and Thorin, it was between them only. And at times, everyone needs that kind of alone time with a very wise friend of theirs.

 

“Is there any dinner left?” Thorin asked him curiously.

 

“Oh yes, that big bowl there. All for you and I expect you to eat it all too,” Bilbo replied, nodding to the massive bowl.

 

Thorin walked over and said “A salad?”

 

“Ah, ah. I won’t hear any complaining from you. You will eat it all,” Bilbo told him, not budging an inch on it.

 

“But…but...Bilbo. It’s green!”

 

“So? I grow those kinds of Green Food and eat it every day,”

 

“But…but…”

 

“Ah, ah. No ifs ands or buts about it. If the rest of your company ate their bowls full of salad, then you have no leg to stand on,” Bilbo huffed back.

 

Thorin looked over at his company and saw that they looked a bit sick that they had to eat it or else face the wrath of a very stubborn determined hobbit.

 

“You will either not eat it or have no dessert. Or you will eat it and you can have your dessert. Your choice,” Bilbo said smiling at Thorin.

 

“You are a cruel hobbit,” Thorin growled deep in his throat.

 

“Yeah well, pick a number and get line behind your folk there,” Bilbo retorted back, cleaning up a wooden glass.

 

Thorin grumbled low to himself as he got his massive bowl, walked over to the even bigger wooden dining table and sat down to eat. He didn’t complain about the strawberries or the egg or anything else in his salad. It all tasted refreshing actually, but Thorin wasn’t going to tell anyone of that.

 

After that, Bilbo made Flintric and Khod do the dishes. Everyone just gave them dirty looks since Bilbo did make dinner for them all, when both dwarves complained.

 

Later on that night, Bilbo couldn’t get to sleep. Rising from his bed, he walked out and walked out of the house. He looked up and saw thousands upon thousands of stars.

 

Twinkling, winking, flickering and blinking all at him.

 

Suddenly he felt very, very, very small. He walked onto the wooden porch and leaned against the second rail.

 

“Couldn’t sleep either?” Thorin greeted him from behind.

 

Bilbo jumped and turned around to him. Surprise was in his eyes as Thorin stared back.

 

“N-n-no,” he stammered horribly back.

 

Thorin smirked and looked down as he then whispered “I did enjoy dinner. It was …tasty,”

 

Swallowing Bilbo replied “You’re welcome Thorin. I know you don’t like to eat your greens, but I would rather eat a salad then starve,”

 

“Yes, I would agree to that, but most dwarves would starve before eating their greens,” Thorin whispered still.

 

Bilbo let it go as he knew a dead-end subject when he sensed one.

 

“Do you think that King Thranduil will let us pass?” Bilbo asked Thorin, fidgeting with his fingers.

 

“I don’t think so Bilbo. King Thranduil turned his back when my people died from being burned, ate and stomped to death. Even after the Dragon took our home, he did nothing to help us at all,” Thorin hissed low.

 

“Oh. Lord Elrond had said that he had lost his wife to the Orcs,” Bilbo mumbled low, trying his best not to be sad on that.

 

Thorin shook his head and said “He won’t let us go in quietly. If we know where the path is at all times,”

 

Bilbo had asked Gandalf of what Mirkwood was like and what the all should look out for. Gandalf told them how lush and green and beautiful it was until Beorn told Gandalf that he got it all wrong. The Greenwood of Old was long gone.

 

“We’ll find it and just as long as we do not go off of it, I think we’ll find our through,” Bilbo told him, looking out into the fields.

 

“Do you think your ancestors lived here?” Thorin asked him softly.

 

“I do believe so. Why else does it look so beautiful?” Bilbo answered, smiling as the stars still danced their merry dance in the sky.

 

“Would you live here if there were any homes?” Thorin asked curiously.

 

Bilbo swallowed and then asked “What are you trying to ask me, Thorin?”

 

“Well I know you are not with a home. Like the rest of us. You gave it to your cousins,” Thorin softly commented the truth.

 

“I did. And we’ll see. I mean, if at all anything than the great skills of the dwarves can, is making me a new Bag-End in the side of the Mountain,” Bilbo said back, smiling teasingly at Thorin.

 

A mighty flush spread across Thorin’s face and muttered back “Yeah. We can,”

 

“I am curious, Thorin,” Bilbo began looking at Thorin once more “Why are there wolves or wargs after us?”

 

“That one I do not know. The fight between us and them reminded me of the battle of Moria,” Thorin replied, walking over and sitting down on the step.

 

Bilbo followed and looked at him with interest.

 

“That big white warg, reminded me of Azog. Azog was a big terrible white orc. There was something else there that didn’t make him dumb or slow like the other orcs that day. He was a commander of their race,” Thorin muttered low, lost in his thoughts and memories.

 

“What do you mean? I thought all orcs and such were like that? Smart I mean,” Bilbo said back, confused.

 

“No. Not all of them are smart. If you have one smart commander, they all will follow. Well, good example is when Balin, Dwalin and I were at the battle of Moria. Once Azog was taken back into Moria, the others just ran for it,” Thorin replied, looking at Bilbo.

 

 Bilbo thought on that and then asked “So what do the wargs do if their leader is killed? Same thing?”

 

“Not really, no. They will get highly livid and attack you for it,” Thorin thought on it.

 

“Oh,” was all Bilbo said before yawning.

 

Thorin gently stood up and helped his friend to his feet.

 

“Come on, I think we better sleep now,” He said smiling down.

 

“Alright. Though I do wonder if anyone else will your amazing heart? I know that some of the members call you soft at times, but it’s refreshing to see it Thorin,” Bilbo mumbled low, not really know how much that had on Thorin.

 

Thorin laid them both down in their bed that they shared. Bilbo snuggled into Thorin’s chest and was fast asleep.

 

 

* * *

 

They rode through the hills and open fields of Beorn’s hall.

 

Beorn had learned that their story was true and held several “trophies” from his killing. Bilbo couldn’t help but feel sad for the wargs dying.

 

Bilbo looked at the dreaded Mirkwood in the distance.

 

“Be on your guard within this forest,” Thorin said to everyone, trotting his horse close to the dark trees.

 

Bilbo rode up next to Thorin and swung down. At once his feet began to tingle.

 

“This is not the Greenwood of old,” Gandalf muttered, not really believing his own eyes.

 

“This forest feels sick,” Bilbo said, walking over to him. “Like a disease is upon it. Are you sure there is no way around this?”

 

Balin looked at Bilbo and asked “You alright laddie?”

 

“No, I can feel how sick this forest truly is. My feet are tingling from it,” he said, looking into the dark and dreaded forest.

 

“Not unless you would like to miss the Durin’s Day, then I suggest you keep to the path. The air, from what Radagast the brown has told me, will lead you astray. Keep to the path!” Gandalf told them all, still on his horse.

 

Bilbo took one look at him and said “You’re leaving us, aren’t you?”

 

“I have other plans to attend to. I will meet you on the slopes of Erebor, the overlook. If you do not find me, do not go in,” Gandalf told them, looking at Thorin mostly.

 

“And if we do miss Durin’s Day, if you are not there?” Bilbo asked curiously.

 

“Then we will have to wait until next year,” Gandalf simply replied back, turning his horse around “Set your ponies loose! Do not drink the water; it is not safe to do so. You will find a bridge as long you stick to the path,”

 

Bilbo shook his head as he looked at his horse. It wasn’t a pony, it was a horse. One of the bigger ones that help with the fields and such.

 

Gandalf herded them back as he galloped off with one last “No matter what happens stay on the path!”

 

The dwarves grumbled at this simple light warning. Filing single line and entered Mirkwood.


	8. Chapter 8

**_ Chapter 8:  _ **

 

At first, Bilbo would say that in its prime, Greenwood would have been beautiful to see. However with many days later, Bilbo would say that Mirkwood was a more deserving name.

 

When the dwarves had walked into the awaiting calm forest, Bilbo was the one in front. He was looking for that bridge. What he didn’t expect was that said bridge to be broken in the middle.

 

However it started; many of the company said it was from the forest itself, a fight broke out and the group of dwarves pushed forward.

 

“AAAHH!!!” was all they heard with a SPLASH.

 

“Bilbo!” Thorin surged forward and just before the hobbit went completely under, he grabbed the hobbit by his wrist.

 

“Khod, why did you start arguing with Dori over his brother!” Gloin snarled at him.

 

“Because he needs to let his brother grow up!” Khod snapped back.

 

“I do let him”

 

“Please, Dori son of Oria! You mother hen that boy like there is no tomorrow!” Khod cut in.

 

“SHAZARA!” Thorin thundered at them all “Bilbo is not waking up even though he is breathing! Khod, fetch some long branches and use your blanket as a part of the stretcher. He won’t be that heavy to carry,”

 

“I still think he wasn’t meant to be on this quest,” Khod snarled and walked away.

 

Everyone looked at Flintric with glares.

 

“I know that Khod is a harsher harden dwarf, but he speaks with truth. It’s never easy to listen to it, but it’s always sought after. I bring him along because I wouldn’t want to be on the other end of his axe,” Flintric replied back, walking away to help his friend.

 

“Thorin,” Balin whispered low “those two are not to be trusted. No matter how much Flintric is your brother in blood. I would not trust him completely,”

 

“Aye,” Dwalin agreed, gently kneeling down to the sleeping Bilbo.

 

“What can we do, Oin?” Thorin asked about Bilbo.

 

“We can’t do anything for him. I do not know the enchantment that is placed within that cursed stream. However, that boat there, will have to get us all over,” Oin replied back, looking across the water.

 

Bofur nodded as he brought out a rope that Beorn gifted to them. He threw it a couple of times in a loose lasso until he got the stern of it. Pulling, Dori glared at the object before him.

 

No one said anything to Dori as the dwarf was in a terrible mood. What Dori kept to himself is that, he couldn’t understand why Flintric would side continuously with that of Khod. What was it that dwarf had over Flintric? What was the youngest Prince of Erebor thinking?

 

Knowing he wouldn’t get any answers for these questions, Dori kept silent when both said dwarves walked back with branches.

 

Very carefully, Thorin helped moved Bilbo onto the stretcher and had Bofur and Gloin carry him with Dori and Bifur acting like bodyguards. It wasn’t that difficult to carry Bilbo since he was a lot lighter in weight compared to his comrades. But there was nothing that anyone of them could do and it gutted Thorin.

 

Everyone got across the stream by the boat. Bombur almost fell in if it wasn’t for Dori yanking him up.

 

“We don’t need you to fall in that cursed stream as well,” Dori exclaimed as he glared at the water.

 

“Aye,” Bofur agreed with.

 

On they walked, and following the path. At times it was hidden by dead leaves and others it was just plainly there to trip them up in their walking.

 

They didn’t stop until Thorin and Balin both agreed it was close to nightfall. The company camped and Gloin built a fire for them to cook their dinner on but, Ori felt like there were a thousand eyes watching them.

 

He would hear a scuttle here or a quick small snap of a twig here.

 

“I don’t like this forest,” Ori said, sitting closer to his brothers.

 

“None of us do, laddie,” Balin agreed across from the fire as they ate their dinner.

 

For days and days and days, it went on like this. Nothing changed except that the air felt heavier and made your head bogged down with slowness. A couple of times, a dwarf would stumble and land into something sticky.

 

They didn’t know when day was day and night was night. It was all blurred together. Food was running low, their water skins were completely emptied and it felt like they were walking around in circles.

 

It was during one of these blurred nights, that Flintric and Khod thought they saw a fire.

 

Running off of the path, Thorin shouted for them “No! Come back! Stay on the path!”

 

They didn’t listen. They kept running towards it until that so called “fire” suddenly went out.

 

This scared the others as they all thought that the fire was not truly real.

 

“AAH!!” Nori screamed when something stabbed him in the back.

 

“Nori!” Dori ran towards him with his sword raised high.

 

“Nori! Nori!” they all could hear when he was getting further and further away from them.

 

“Dori! Come back!” Thorin shouted at him worriedly.

 

They heard something and then nothing.

 

This made all of them stand in a circle around Bilbo. Weapons were drawn and ready for whatever it was that was attacking them.

 

What they did not expect was something had taken Bilbo. Thorin only had enough time to look up.

 

“BILBO!” he shouted in utter worry.

 

The others tried to get their hobbit back, but it was too late. He was already gone.

 

“Thorin,” Balin uttered to him, looking into the inky darkness.

 

Thorin turned around as he saw eyes glowing of the reflective fire light.

 

“What did we just do?” Dwalin muttered as he had his weapons drawn out.

 

“We have awoken Mirkwood, that’s what we just did,” Balin wisely stated.

 

“Well. If we’re going out, we’re going out with a dwarven Bang. Come on lads!” Gloin snarled and that seemed to rally them up.

 

They all ran into the enemy, screaming, and slicing their way through them.

 

But it wasn’t enough. One by one they were picked off and the fire burned itself out.

 

It was Bilbo, hours later that awoke to a massive spider den. It was a said massive hairy, jaws snapping with drool that was over him.

 

Very carefully, he pulled Sting out; cutting through the web wrapped around him and thrusted it into the soft tender unprotected belly of the spider.

 

It screamed and shrieked, as he yanked to the left and pulled Sting out as blood and guts slowly trickled out of its massive body and then fell off of the branch.

 

Bilbo quickly took the web off of him as he looked around. He didn’t remember all that much of entering the forest except that Gandalf wasn’t with them now.

 

Looking around he saw these massive spiders dragging what looked to be the height of a dwarf.

 

Completely forgetting that he had a ring that could make him invisible, Bilbo put it on. It was from there that he thought of a plan.

 

Taking branches, he threw them into the trees. Making a lot of noise to distract the mass swarm of spiders that suddenly gathered around his friends.

 

When all of them were gone, Bilbo quickly took Sting and slashed and hacked to get them down. Still wearing the Ring, Bilbo kept looking over his shoulder.

 

It was only when he leapt down to the ground did the massive spiders come back with an angry vengeance.

 

Holding Sting high, he did his best to kill as many as possible. But this nearly failed for the hobbit. He forgot to take the ring off and when the dwarves awoke from their poisonous slumber, they drew their weapons and attacked the spiders.

 

Luckily Bilbo had ran over to a tree where there wasn’t any action going on and took the ring off. He leaned against the tree.

 

It was about this time that he saw from above, that there were elves. Running, racing, drawing their weapons and attacking the spiders as well.

 

When all of the spiders were dead, Bilbo gasped when the Elves turned on the dwarves.

 

“And just what is a group of dwarves trespassing in Mirkwood?” one of them said, sneering at the dwarves.

 

“Wait!” Bilbo shouted and ran towards the group.

 

“Bilbo!” Thorin yelled when he saw an elf let loose an arrow.


	9. Chapter 9

**_ Chapter 9:  _ **

 

CLINK!

 

Bilbo was spared that arrow going into him when he saw an elf standing in front of him. The elf’s hair was silk looking, straight and very blonde. The sword was curved from where it deflected the arrow.

 

“Ceri al negro e annui hen?” he asked the guards in a stern voice.

 

“Uh?” Bilbo said, looking up at this elf in fright.

 

“What did he say?” Gloin snarled, raising his axe.

 

“I told him, not to harm your friend. Now, what is a group of dwarves, let alone your King along with that of a Hobbit trespassing in Mirkwood?” the elf asked, looking at them curiously.

 

“We are not trespassing. We are just trying to cross so that we do not go North or twice that distance south! Gandalf was here with us,” Bilbo said back to this elf.

 

He turned around and whispered “Mithrandir? Where is he?”

 

“He is not with us. He went to some place that needed his attention. But he kept muttering Radagast the Brown,” Bilbo replied back.

 

The Elf in turn then muttered something too low for Bilbo to pick up.

 

“He cannot go there alone. Something Evil is there. I tried to go but, he cannot do it alone,” the elf hissed.

 

“What is your name?” Bilbo asked him.

 

“I am Prince Legolas. My father is that of King Thranduil. I know he will not put you in the cells but, your friends will. My father is not sane as he once was,” Prince Legolas replied back, looking down at Bilbo.

 

“We only strayed from the path because 2 of our companions were taken,” Bilbo said to him, putting Sting away.

 

Legolas copied him and then said “We have 2 dwarves in our cells. I would not give such a harsh sentence like my father gave them as I know he will with you. For now, we must bind your hands. It is not I who wishes this, but that of my father,”

 

“Very well, but I would like to speak with him,” Bilbo countered as the dwarves behind him were protesting.

 

Legolas nodded and then said “Search them,”

 

“Wait! Please!” Bilbo begged as they did not stop.

 

Legolas was handed Orcrist that was yanked from Thorin’s hand.

 

“Lord Elrond gifted that to me!” Bilbo lied.

 

“And why did you give it to your friend?” Legolas asked him.

 

“Do you honestly need to _see_ why? That sword is twice my height. It would be scrapping the ground that I walk on and damage it! I gave my friend that sword to hold onto,” Bilbo snapped back.

 

Legolas nodded, thinking and then said “I will hold onto it until my father knows what to do with you and your companion, Bilbo,”

 

Relaxing just a bit, Bilbo nodded as their hands were bounded up and lead towards the hidden kingdom of Mirkwood.

 

Not really liking this, Bilbo and the others followed Legolas for a long time. It wasn’t until they came upon a roaring stream with a bridge and platform with double solid doors with two guards standing there.

 

“We are taking you to the cells. My father declared that all dwarves, found, should be put there. I do not agree with him, but he is the king,” Legolas warned them all.

 

The dwarves snarled and protested but they walked into the kingdom as the double doors closed behind them.

 

Bilbo sighed as they walked on the roots of the trees that grew down. He didn’t know how he was going to get all of them, himself included, out of Mirkwood.

 

 When his rope was cut, he looked as his friends were shoved down a different corridor.

 

“Wait! Where are they going!?” Bilbo cried out as there were a lot of shouting.

 

“Get off of me!” Ori yelled.

 

“Do not harm my brother!” Dori snarled up.

 

“Where are we going?” Oin said as he held his trumpet up.

 

“Bilbo! Bilbo!” Thorin’s voice could be heard over them all.

 

“To the cellars where my father wants them. You, however, are not a dwarf. Come,” Legolas said when the door shut and the voices dimmed.

 

Bilbo walked with Legolas to the throne room as he tried not to panic. When they came to the throne room, Bilbo was forced to walk up the steps.

 

He gazed highly upward as he saw an elf upon a chair.

 

“And what is this?” his bored voice filtered down.

 

“This is not a dwarf, father. He was with the group of dwarves that we caught trespassing in Mirkwood. I only know his name to be Bilbo, but that is all,” Legolas informed his father.

 

When King Thranduil walked down the steps, Bilbo stared at the elf in front of him. His face was marred; his cheek muscles burned and the pale cloud blue eye made Bilbo take a step back.

 

“Yes, you fear me,” King Thranduil said easily “Just what are you and why are you trespassing in my lands,”

 

“I am Bilbo Hills,” Bilbo wisely stated back “And we did not mean to trespass in your lands. There was no one at the gates of Mirkwood and Gandalf said it was alright to walk in your forest,”

 

“Mithrandir? That is interesting to learn. Well Mr. Hills, I cannot let those dwarves go without punishment,” King Thranduil toyed with his words.

 

“Then what are going to do with them?” Bilbo asked, watching how the king walked slowly closer.

 

“That is hardly your concern. I would think you would be begging for me to release them,” King Thranduil said, smirking almost evilly.

 

Bilbo then softly asked “What happened to your face?”

 

King Thranduil stopped his smirking and frowned “I have battled against the dragons of the North. Well before Erebor was destroyed by one of them. Why are you asking, Mr. Hills?”

 

“Because I have not seen a severe wound and I am sorry,” Bilbo told him honestly.

 

King Thranduil stared at Bilbo and asked “Where are you going?”

 

“To the Iron Hills. I am betrothed to one of the dwarf lords there. And with my dwarves, they decided to come along for the wedding,” Bilbo easily lied to him.

 

“And you honestly think that the two dwarves that I have in my cells would say yes to that? Before you and your group got captured?” King Thranduil asked in return.

 

“They are here?” Bilbo asked eagerly.

 

“Yes, but if I were to bring one of them up, would they state the same thing?” King Thranduil wondered.

 

“Of course he would!” Bilbo snapped back.

 

“Bring me Thorin Oakenshield,” King Thranduil stated to one of his guardsmen.

 

Bilbo was then confused. He waited but when he saw Flintric stumble and locked eyes with Bilbo, Flintric nodded.

 

“This Mr. Hills has told me that you and your group of dwarves are escorting him to the Iron Hills for a wedding?” King Thranduil told to Flintric.

 

“…Aye. The fastest way is through Mirkwood,” Flintric followed along with this lie.

 

“Bring me the dwarf with the white forked beard,” King Thranduil demanded.

 

Bilbo looked Flintric over, worried that he was being mistreated but Flintric shook his head at Bilbo. When the guards brought Balin up, he sighed in relief.

 

“Your two comrades have stated that Mr. Hills is to be wed to one of the Dwarf lords in the Iron Hills. Is this true?” King Thranduil demanded from Balin.

 

Balin without missing a beat replied “Of course it is. We were guided here by Gandalf but he had to go and get his friend in the South of Mirkwood. I am sorry Lad,”

 

The last part was towards Bilbo who nodded back.

 

King Thranduil was silent. His mind racing with thoughts. Bilbo didn’t like how silent King Thranduil had become.

 

“Put these two dwarves back in their cells. Mr. Hills can be in one of the guest rooms,” King Thranduil ordered and walked away.

 

“Wait!” Bilbo cried out “Let us go, please!”

 

“And why would I do that?” King Thranduil rounded back, continue to walk further and further away.

 

“Balin…” Bilbo uttered worriedly.

 

“Easy, laddie, easy. Just need to think of something,” Balin tried to soothe Bilbo’s worries.

 

The guards took Balin and Flintric back to their cells. Legolas walked up to Bilbo who watched Balin and Flintric disappear around the bend.

 

“Come, Mr. Hills. I will take you to your room,” Legolas said and walked slowly away.

 

Bilbo had no choice but to follow Legolas to his room. To Bilbo it was like walking to his doom.

 

When Legolas showed him to his room, Bilbo looked around it; it was spacious as far as elven rooms go, but Bilbo did not miss that were guards posted outside of his door.

 

“Why are they here?” He asked Legolas.

 

“So that you do not get lost,” Legolas replied but Bilbo knew the true hidden words there.

 

He was being held prisoner here.

 

“And what about my friends?” He asked worriedly.

 

“They will never leave Mr. Hills. I am sorry, but you will have to make your journey to the Iron Hills alone,” Legolas said and then walked out of the room.

 

Bilbo gaped in utter disbelief.

 

_‘Not if_ I _can do anything about it, mister elf.’_ He thought with determination.

 

And so, Bilbo tried to find a way out of Mirkwood. It may have taken him a month to figure things out, but King Thranduil and Legolas didn’t know of his plans. No one knew within Mirkwood, that at night, a hobbit was sneaking around the place.

 

When he found himself in the wine cellar Bilbo saw an elf that was muttering and grumbling as he took one of the glasses of wine. Bilbo also noticed that this elf was the keeper of the keys.

 

It took a few hours before the elf was passed out drunk.

 

Snatching the keys quietly, Bilbo ran towards where he saw his friends taken. Behind the door, Bilbo was confused as it splintered down there were different corridors going downward too in a spiral loop.

 

Bilbo walked up to the first cell that he saw and sighed with relief.

 

Balin was in there, looking patiently bored.

 

“Balin,” Bilbo whispered to him.

 

Balin looked up but knitted his bushy eyebrows together “Bilbo?”

 

“Yes, it’s me, but I cannot be seen. I have the keys here. Do you know where they have taken Thorin?” Bilbo said, unlocking the door and pulling it towards him.

 

When Balin saw that it wasn’t a simple mind trick, he jumped up and looked around.

 

“Follow this downward laddie. He’s the last one,” Balin whispered low.

 

“Thank you,” Bilbo said and released the other dwarves next.

 

Bilbo looked at the empty cells as he worried that Balin was lying, until he saw in the darkest part of the cells, Thorin looking upwards.

 

Taking the Ring off at once, Bilbo uttered “Thorin,”

 

Thorin jumped out of fright and then smiled with “Bilbo,”

 

Bilbo walked over to him, yanked his collar down and smashed his lips with that of Thorin’s in a much needed kiss.

 

If the bars weren’t there, Thorin would have wrapped Bilbo more lovingly in his arms. However, since the bars were there, he couldn’t and it was a reminder to them both: they didn’t have that much time.

 

Bilbo unlocked the door and then pushed Thorin in front of him.

 

“Come on, we need to leave,” he muttered low as they walked backwards to the main area of where everyone was at.

 

“Where are Flintric and Khod?” Bilbo asked Balin.

 

“Down that way,” he replied and pointed to another corridor.

 

Bilbo dashed down there and came back up with them.

 

“Alright follow me,” Bilbo told them, walking them through the door, down the corridor and into the wine cellars.

 

“Why are we down here?” Bofur hissed low.

 

“There is a way out; just do you trust me enough to put you in the wine barrels?” Bilbo asked all of them.

 

“Aye laddie,” Balin spoke up as the others nodded in agreement.

 

“Alright, get into the barrels. I’ll cover the lids and we’ll slip out without them knowing,” Bilbo said as he then dashed away again.

 

Thorin helped his company into the barrels when Bilbo came out, huffing and handed Orcrist back to him with the other weapons.

 

“We’ll be needing these,” Bilbo mumbled.

 

But time was up.

 

They heard the door open as Bilbo put the weapons with Bombur. Hopped into the barrel with Thorin and both secured the lid as best as they could.

 

“Send those back,” they all heard from the elf.

 

Thorin and Bilbo didn’t breathe when an elf secured their lid more.

 

“Alright,” they then heard and the grinding of gears and suddenly they were rolling and falling.

 

Down they went and floated out of Mirkwood, not raising alarm until well past dinner.


	10. Chapter 10

**_ Chapter 10:  _ **

 

For years to come, Bilbo will always tell this part of his story excitement and joy. But for now, he wasn’t experiencing any of that.

 

They kept hitting boulders and rocks.

 

They rolled and spun and plunged into the deep parts of the swift river.

 

Bilbo slipped his hand and felt water slush in.

 

“Thorin,” He said, looking around what little space that they had “Water is coming in,”

 

“That is a problem,” He grunted, he too was starting to feel it.

 

THUD!

 

The barrel shook as Thorin coiled his legs and hit the lid once more.

 

THUD!

 

“When this lid goes, get out first,” Thorin ordered Bilbo.

 

THUD!

 

The wooden lid washed away as water came flooding inside.

 

“Thorin!” Bilbo shrieked but was sucked out of the barrel.

 

Quickly holding his breath, Bilbo kicked upward until his head broke the surface and gasped for air. He looked around.

 

“Thorin!” He shouted again, terrified.

 

The roar of the river was all he heard when his ears broke the water surface. An arm wrapped around Bilbo’s waist and heaved him with the flow of the current.

 

“THORIN!” he yelled out in fright.

 

“I’m right here Bilbo. You never go against the river. Always go with the current,” Thorin replied right next to his ear.

 

Bilbo relaxed and kicked his legs, making sure to keep his head above the water as they slowly made their way closer and closer to the banks.

 

He gazed down river and saw the barrels float away further and further away from them.

 

“What are we going to do with the company?” Bilbo asked, looking at Thorin who hauled himself out of the river.

 

“Catch up with them when we can. For now, we’re not that far away from the kingdom. If need be, we can use the river to get us further down from them,” Thorin replied, looking warily into the woods.

 

“Yes, but come on, we’re not safe here either,” Bilbo said gently getting up on his feet.

 

Thorin nodded in agreement and stood as they walked into the forest. They soon found themselves on a well worn trail.

 

“This way,” Bilbo whispered and didn’t take the trail.

 

Thorin followed Bilbo, looking around them as well as up above them.

 

Bilbo found some rocks and followed it until he came to a small cave. It was lucky that they had found it when an elf from the kingdom flew on the main trail.

 

“Who is that, Bilbo,” Thorin whispered in Bilbo’s ear.

 

“The key handler. I wonder why he is fleeing.” Bilbo whispered back.

 

They watched him until he was out of their sight. Bilbo put his finger on top of Thorin’s lips and looked around when the birds stopped chirping.

 

Something crept closer. They didn’t know what it was, but when a twig snapped, it raced forward with bondless speed.

 

Thorin brought out Orcrist as it glowed blue. Bilbo slowly pulled Sting out as well, though the blue faded away until it was gone.

 

“We have to be careful Mizimith,” Thorin whispered to Bilbo.

 

Bilbo nodded. His interest in languages can wait when it was safer.

 

Slowly the birds started to sing again. The tension hung in the air less and less.

 

Bilbo yawned.

 

Since they were tired from swimming free from their barrel, they lay down against the cave wall and rested. They didn’t mean to fall asleep there, just that they were so exhausted.

 

Now Bilbo and Thorin knew that during the night time hours, Orcs and such came out from their hiding places. More than ever, Bilbo relied heavily on his sword. It wasn’t glowing blue and so with that, Bilbo and Thorin took it as a good sign.

 

Slowly following the trail hidden to the main trail, Bilbo kept his eyes out for the elves.

 

“Thorin,” Bilbo murmured when the river cut into the land.

 

“The branches,” Thorin muttered with distain.

 

The hobbit nodded and hopped up into the branches. The dwarf king was right behind him and when the air became thick with tension, Bilbo forced Thorin to the main part of the tree.

 

Just below them, on the other side of the bank, a group of Orcs were running along the trail.

 

“Let them go ahead of us,” Thorin barely uttered in Bilbo’s ear.

 

“The company, Thorin,” Bilbo muttered back.

 

“They are not here. They would have gone on without us,” Thorin murmured as the wind softly blew in their faces.

 

They made it over the tree bridge and slowly made their way through the length of Mirkwood. At times throughout the night, they would come across Orc that was shot dead with Elf arrows stuck into it.

 

Bilbo couldn’t help but wonder what happened to the company. Where they alright? Did the Elves find them? Would they stay to make sure that Thorin and he would be rejoined?

 

No one could answer these questions for little Bilbo as he started to get tired. Thorin pushed them to another set of rocks that he saw and searched the cave there.

 

Thankfully Orcrist saw some action to an underground spider and it was killed.

 

Thorin also made a fire after a dozen tries to get it and then torched the body of the underground spider. From the hole that it came from, both Bilbo and Thorin heard cries from within. Bilbo didn’t like to hear them, so he was outside of the cave.

 

Despite Thorin protecting him, Bilbo was after all a hobbit. He had more compassion out of anyone in the company, let alone of all of Middle-Earth.

 

Thorin walked up behind him “I am sorry that the noises bother you so,”

 

“Apology accepted, but I don’t like to hurt anything or anyone,” Bilbo replied back, turning around and looking up into Thorin’s eyes.

 

Thorin swallowed thickly as he felt ashamed for his actions.

 

“But I do think that the elves would appreciate what we have done. I don’t know what is poisoning this forest, but from what I can tell, it’s been here for a very long time. And the elves have been fighting this battle since that long ago,” Bilbo said to him, looking out into the river.

 

It was very strange, where this part of the river was slow but just up ahead, it was roaring with life.

 

“Are your feet still tingling from the poison?” Thorin asked worriedly.

 

“Yes, but it will go away with me being away from this dying forest. I may not know where Hobbits came from or how we came to be, but what I do know is that Lady Yavanna created us. We take after her love of things and cherish what we look after; plants, animals, our families and homes. Maybe she created us to be the race that helped Dwarves, Man and Elves understand that we are all One,” Bilbo stated, his eyes fixated on something on the river.

 

“No one talks like that, Bilbo,” Thorin said to him in awe.

 

“Maybe, because I come from compassion and love and always see the good in people; no matter how many times I get emotionally hurt from it,” Bilbo replied with a smile and a shrug.

 

Thorin looked at Bilbo with a new understanding from then onward.

 

He walked back into their cave and the noises weren’t there anymore. The fire flickered and danced as Thorin found more branches and such to feed it ever growing hunger.

 

Bilbo didn’t know when he fell asleep or when Thorin went to bed, but he found himself snuggled up against Thorin’s chest. Slowly getting more alert, he saw that the fire was still flickering lowly away on the embers.

 

He slowly and silently got to his feet, walking out of their cave as he heard a plop sound.

 

His eyes looked to the river and saw a fish jump out of it. It took him so by surprise that he gasped and it gave him a brilliant idea.

 

Taking Sting out, Bilbo gently walked into the very cold water. He was about mid chest deep. The current of the river was very slow. The water was a bit murky but he stabbed into it anyway.

 

To Bilbo’s surprise, he had stabbed a couple of fish onto Sting. Hurrying back to the bank, Bilbo found some rocks and built a little area for the fish to be in. Several times he went back and forth to the river and the bank.

 

Pretty soon he had enough fish for them to last upon for a couple of days.

 

Thorin woke up to a smell that tickled his nose. He opened his eyes and saw Bilbo happily dancing away to the cooked fish. In many ways, Thorin smiled at this sight.

 

He got up to his feet and walked over as Bilbo twirled and giggled to himself.

 

Gently taking Bilbo’s hand that hung above his head, Thorin smiled when the hobbit gasped in fright. They’re eyes locked onto one another and very slowly, started to dance.

 

Bilbo didn’t take his eyes off of Thorin’s as he twirled him about. They didn’t say anything, not wanting to ruin the moment until Bilbo smelled that the fish were being burnt.

 

He walked over to the spiked fish and flipped it over onto the uncooked side. Thorin watched Bilbo walked back over to him and they started dancing once more.

 

“When did you learn how to dance?” Bilbo asked Thorin, being twirled out.

 

“Mandatory for a royal to know and learn how to dance when your grandfather is pushing you to succeed the line even further,” Thorin replied, gently dipping Bilbo backwards.

 

Gulping, Bilbo saw how Thorin’s pupils were wide and the blue nearly silver blue.

 

Now a lot of people would say that Thorin would just simply kiss Bilbo on the lips. But Bilbo remembers it in a different way here.

 

Bilbo was teaching Thorin one of the many dances that he and his people do at birthday parties, weddings and celebration of Yavanna. Thorin kept messing up but slowly he was getting to know the steps. A lot of high heels and feet with jumping and hopping.

 

“There you go!” Bilbo encouraged him smiling when Thorin got it down.

 

Thorin couldn’t help the chuckle or the biggest smile that he ever had on his face.

 

“I think…” He said, laughing uncontrollably, “That we should do a dwarven slow dance,”

 

“Oh? What is it?” Bilbo asked curiously, smiling too.

 

“A lot of slow turns, break away into an upbeat part and everyone learns it,” Thorin replied, walking over to Bilbo.

 

“Alright,” Bilbo agreed “Teach me it, please?”

 

And so, Thorin taught Bilbo this dance. To the race of Man, it would be called the waltz; just without the upbeat part. Bilbo stepped on Thorin’s feet so many times, that he was blushing in embarrassment.

 

Thorin held Bilbo so close that their faces were almost touching. Bilbo’s heart had sped up on this closeness.

 

They gazed into each other’s eyes as Thorin danced them around the campfire. The world faded gray around the edges, the fire flickered and crackled as it was the only “music” that these two had.

 

Thorin slowed their dancing down, twirling and spinning Bilbo under the arch of his arm. He put his arm around Bilbo’s waist, slowed him to a halt and very gently tipped him backwards so that Thorin was cradling Bilbo in his arm.

 

Bilbo held onto Thorin’s shoulders as he gazed up into his eyes.

 

“Menu tessu, Kurdel,” Thorin whispered low and closed the gap between them.

 

It was tender and soft until love overtook them both. The kissing became hungry and determined. Breathing through their noses, they kissed each other’s lips.

 

Thorin pulled away first, breathing heavily with his pupils blown up with desire.

 

“Blanket,” he muttered huskily to Bilbo.

 

Bilbo nodded and murmured back “Yes,”

 

They hurriedly walked over to their joined blankets and with Bilbo lying down; Thorin looked him over before leaning down capturing his lips again.

 

The pair of them made out until they were too tired to do anything else.

 

The next morning, Bilbo woke up to Thorin resting on top of his ribcage.

 

_‘I didn’t dream it. It was real,’_ he thought to himself, smiling.

 

“Thorin,” Bilbo said, softly shaking his boyfriend awake.

 

Thorin snored softly away but when Bilbo shook him harder, Thorin was awake at once.

 

“Good morning, but we need to get moving soon,” Bilbo said dreadfully.

 

“Good morning and yes,” Thorin grunted out, but just snuggled into Bilbo’s chest once more.

 

Bilbo couldn’t help the little chuckle at this; softly running his fingers through Thorin’s hair.

 

“Come on,” Bilbo said after a few minutes.

 

Grumbling at getting up at the crack of dawn, Thorin got up from his soft squishy pillow and helped Bilbo to stand.

 

They made up camp; had a very light breakfast, put the fire out and continued to walk down the river bank. The pair of them didn’t take long breaks. The walk was hard so they took to the river once more. It was a lot swifter this way and it cut the time in half.

 

“Thorin! Look!” Bilbo said, pointing to where the barrels were and they were emptied.

 

“Swim to shore,” Thorin told him, pushing them to the shore.

 

Bilbo latched onto Thorin’s back as he swam to shore and then helped him to his feet.

 

Hurriedly walking over to the barrels, Bilbo looked around and walked over to an empty wooden dock.

 

“Thorin?” he said, looking around worriedly.

 

“Lake-town has a long bridge leading into it. We will go that way,” Thorin told him, gently nudging Bilbo to the bridge.

 

Something caught Bilbo’s attention and hopped up into a branch of a tree. Thorin waited down on the ground as he looked around them for safety.

 

Bilbo jumped down when he got what was stuck in the tree.

 

“A note?” he said almost to himself, showing it to Thorin.

 

“It’s from Ori. They had a bargeman take them across the lake. Says to wait but, I don’t like how silent the forest just got,” Thorin whispered low as the birds were chirping but now stopped.

 

“Let’s get to the bridge,” Bilbo said in agreement.

 

They found it easily enough and started to walk. Thankfully they did choose the bridge otherwise they would have met with a group of wargs. What the wargs didn’t know was that Bilbo had slipped off of the bridge and grabbed Thorin with him.

 

So when they checked the bridge, they saw no one. They trotted away as Thorin had them surface on the other side of the bridge.

 

He hoisted himself out of the lake and grabbed Bilbo’s hand. He pulled him out of the lake too.

 

“That was too close,” Bilbo said low, feeling like a drowned watered rat.

 

“Yes. But what are they looking for, I do not know. Come. We have to get to Lake-Town and get you dry,” Thorin told him, gently pushing Bilbo in front of him.

 

And so, that is how they came to Lake-Town.


	11. Chapter 11

**_ Chapter 11:  _ **

 

Bilbo huddled next to the fire as he felt his head pounding.

 

Balin gently put a pint of ale into his hands and said “Drink it, Laddie,”

 

Bilbo nodded without protesting and drink it. He coughed a lot and looked up at Balin.

 

“Oin made that for you. He hopes that you get better soon,” Balin explained more.

 

“Whatever it is, thank you,” Bilbo said as he sipped it slowly.

 

“He said it will get cold if you drink it slowly. Gulp it down, there is a lad,” Balin told him as Bilbo had no other choice but to drink the horrid tasting concoction in 5 gulps.

 

His stomach felt full as his eyes wandered around the house that they were guests in.

 

The big folk who owned this house were polite but rough around the edges. Lake-Town was very poor but the Master or whatever, was ghastly richer than anyone here.

 

Bilbo didn’t like him the first time he saw him.

 

Thorin walked over with some soup and bread. He sat down next to Bilbo and put some more wood in the fireplace.

 

“Bard and his son have told me that the Master of the Lake has been hiking up the taxes. If I had known that was happening, I wouldn’t have announced myself just yet,” Thorin grumbled.

 

“If you tell him that he will get more money, I think his ego and stomach will grow ever more,” Bilbo huffed back.

 

Thorin nodded and whispered low “what do you think of him? No one here knows where he came from or any history except that he was elected to be the Master of Lake-Town,”

 

“I think he came from Gondor or Minis-Tirith or Rohan. Those are the only cities that I know of that has the race of Man. If he came from the south-east then we have a problem,” Bilbo muttered back, staring into the flickering flames.

 

“Why would that be a problem, Bilbo?” Thorin asked in a hushed whispered.

 

“There is a lot of people, who are poor and turn to crime, from that area. Plus it’s not fully explored like it is up here. I read from within Lord Elrond’s library that those big folk will kill a man if he has anything that they want. If I got my senses correctly, I think this Master of the Lake came in when Dale was attacked and has wormed his way into this city; destroying it like a real worm does to a ripe apple,” Bilbo explained more with utter disgust.

 

Now Thorin felt really stupid and bad for revealing himself at the front gates, but they couldn’t get through otherwise.

 

“What can we do?” Thorin hissed low.

 

Bilbo looked at the man who was housing them and then looked at Thorin “Who is he?”

 

“Bard, the bargemen,” Thorin answered, curious on what Bilbo was thinking.

 

The hobbit nodded and ate his soup with his mind grinding away. He didn’t know that he was still hungry but, he ate all of it and his piece of bread.

 

Pretty soon, Bilbo got up and walked downstairs. A couple of minutes later he came back up and slept into the youngest child’s bed.

 

Thorin spoke softly in Khuzdul to Balin about what Bilbo had said to him. Balin switched over to Western when Bard was glaring at them.

 

“I think he can be trusted. He is our friend,” Balin said and left it alone.

 

Thorin nodded as he walked over to Bard.

 

“My company and I are grateful for you hosting us, when you didn’t want too,” He told Bard.

 

“I couldn’t let a child be out in the cold,” Bard replied back.

 

“Bilbo isn’t a child nor is he a man. He is a hobbit, from Lady Yavanna. He is traveling with us because our guide, Gandalf, said that we would need his help. Bilbo also said to me that we can trust you,” Thorin corrected him.

 

Bard nodded and said low “We have heard that Hobbits were just myth. And that if you ever saw one, that you will be in riches,”

 

Thorin smiled with “Riches of living a life of care-free and love. His people are beyond the Misty Mountains. But, he is curious, even though he is fighting off a cold, about how the Master of the Lake came to be,”

 

Bard stared hard at Thorin and heavily sighed.

 

Thorin waited patiently.

 

“No one knows what his true story is, but he has been the Master of the lake for nearly 40 years. He married my sister, but she passed within a few years. My oldest is her only child,” Bard said gravely “She is fathered by a different man. My son is from my wife and me,”

 

Thorin nodded and asked “Why did he marry into your family?”

 

Bard searched Thorin’s face and into his eyes.

 

“Because my ancestor is that of the Lord of Dale. I have heard stories that your line is cursed. How do I know that you will hold to your word?” Bard asked Thorin.

 

“My word?” Thorin asked in return.

 

“There is another dwarf that looks a lot like you. Wouldn’t say his name, but he and I held a promise. That promise was, that whenever you get to the mountain, half of that gold goes to Lake-Town,” Bard explained, looking Thorin over.

 

“Flintric. My youngest brother. I’m Thorin Oakenshield. If he promised you that much of gold, then there is nothing that I can do. He now has to uphold his word. However you are correct that there is a curse on my line,” Thorin told him, looking down in shame.

 

“So who is the crown prince?” Bard asked him, nodding.

 

“I am the King. I just need to get my kingdom back and kill Smaug. I know that if we do not kill him, he will come here. I do not know how to prevent the firestorm,” Thorin answered him.

 

Bilbo walked back and caught the tail end of this conversation.

 

“Why not reveal Bard for who he is? If his ancestor was the Lord of Dale, why not reveal the town people that? And then you and your town people can make for Dale?” Bilbo suggested to them both.

 

Bard looked over and then down at Bilbo stating “I wish it could be that simple, but it’s not. The older folks won’t leave because this town is all that they know of,”

 

“Then, why not make some knights or something?” Bilbo asked, he didn’t want anyone to die because of this quest.

 

“Bilbo is a hobbit; he would rather see no one hurt or killed. The master of the Lake is the one who is in charge, Bilbo. If Bard was to dethrone him, then there will be very little people who would support him,” Thorin explained to them both.

 

Bilbo nodded and said “Well, I don’t know of politics and kingdoms,”

 

Bard arched an eyebrow up at his comment as Bilbo walked away. Thorin heavily sighed and felt guilty.

 

“He really is a simple being. I just hope, if we do go with his plan,” Bard whispered low, “that after Erebor is restored, our 2 kingdoms can make an alliance,”

 

“You can also have Lake-Town,” Thorin agreed.

 

Bard nodded thinking this over.

 

Dwalin grumbled as he entered the house and marched over to Thorin. Bilbo and the others were curious as to what made Dwalin so irritable as they got out of his way.

 

“The Master of the Lake wants to speak with you, Thorin,” Dwalin growled out.

 

“Alright. I’ll be back,” Thorin said, getting up and walking with Dwalin.

 

Bilbo looked at Balin as he heavily sighed.

 

“I think he too got confused when he saw his brother,” Bard said after the door was closed.

 

“Aye. We are still getting use to Prince Flintric. However, there are small differences between him and Thorin,” Balin replied back.

 

Bilbo stayed out of it as he leaned into his chair.

 

A couple hours go by and he must have fallen asleep. The sky was darker now and most of the others were asleep.

 

Bifur was sitting next to him, looking into the fire as he carved something out of a block of wood.

 

Bilbo gently patted his arm to not startle him, smiling.

 

Bifur nodded to him showed Bilbo the little cuts.

 

“What is it, Bifur?” Bilbo asked aloud but also signed to Bifur too.

 

Bifur signed back, a bit shocked.

 

“Ooh. Okay. Well, whatever you think it will be, I know someone will appreciate it,” Bilbo said back, getting up and walking into the kitchen area.

 

Bifur kept an eye on Bilbo as he got some late dinner.

 

Fish stew with some bread and Oin’s medicine, Bilbo began to eat at the table.

 

The door to Bard’s house opened up and Balin, Dwalin and Thorin with Flintric walked in. Thorin looked highly irritable, glaring at Flintric as Balin and Dwalin looked exhausted from the 2 Durin Brothers.

 

“Before you make any kind of comment, the rest of the company is asleep and so is Bard and his family,” Bilbo hissed in warning at them.

 

Flintric ignored him as he got his bowl of stew and bread, walking over to the fireplace.

 

Thorin heavily sighed as Balin said something in Khuzdul to him. The King of the Dwarves sat down besides Bilbo as did Balin and Dwalin.

 

“Where were you?” Bilbo asked them curiously.

 

“Tomorrow we will speak of it. For now, I am just ready for some food and sleep,” Balin told him.

 

“Alright. I won’t ask until tomorrow,” Bilbo replied back, which made all three dwarves exhale in relief.

 

Thorin, Flintric, Balin and Dwalin all ate their stew without even tasting it and went to bed.

 

Bilbo looked over at Bifur who just shook his head.

 

The next day, Bilbo was up and was walking the wooden walk ways of Lake-Town. Bilbo didn’t need to know what had happened between Thorin, Balin, Dwalin and Flintric with that of the Master of the Lake. Bilbo knew from a glance that he was greedy by nature.

 

Already he had bought some new clothes, a traveling pack or two, blankets, traveling dried food and something else.

 

He was just walking through an area when he saw that it opened up a bit. Several different market stations were around this massive lookout tower.

 

“I wouldn’t be getting to far,” He heard behind him.

 

Turning around, Bilbo then saw Nori, holding a long hunting knife.

 

“I wasn’t. Just why are you following me Nori? I didn’t do anything to get your anger, have I?” Bilbo asked curiously until the star shaped red hair dwarf stood before him.

 

“No. But Thorin told me to keep an eye on you whenever you leave the lodging. Now, why are you here at the Dwarvish Wind-lance?” Nori asked him.

 

“The what?” Bilbo said confusedly.

 

Nori pointed on top of the lookout tower and there stood mounted on top of it was the largest bow firing that Bilbo had ever seen.

 

“It is said, though I may have gotten this wrong, that Girion had used that to shoot at Smaug,” Nori said low.

 

“Who do I ask for when I want to hear this tale?” Bilbo asked him, still looking up at it.

 

“Balin and Thorin,” Nori told him.

 

“Alright, well, I have a few things that I would still like to get,” Bilbo told him in return.

 

“If you are going to be courting our king, you better do it the right way,” Nori then said which made Bilbo look down and into Nori’s eyes, shocked.

 

“Courting?” Bilbo asked as he never heard of this.

 

“Aye. Thorin is a blacksmith and our King. So you better start with something useful,” Nori hinted to him.

 

Trying to think this over, Bilbo nodded and looked around the market stations. They were mostly of food.

 

“Nori, where is market stations for hair stuff?” Bilbo asked, but got no reply.

 

Bilbo turned around and saw no one there. He heavily sighed as Nori was in the shadows once more.

 

So he went asked and was pointed in the right direction.

 

Nori kept an eye on Bilbo. He lied of course that Thorin wanted to keep an eye on Bilbo, but at least he gave a nudge to Bilbo in the right direction.

 

Bilbo smiled when he got hair beads, brushes, an old dwarvish cloak pin, his own traveling pack, blankets, cloak and clothes for Thorin. He didn’t hurry back to Bard’s house but, Nori did have a terrible time trying to catch up with the quick footed hobbit.

 

“More like a bunny hopping,” Nori grumbled low to himself.

 

Nori slipped inside Bard’s house unnoticed as Bilbo smiled at Thorin when he showed him his items.

 

“These are for us when we go up to Erebor. I didn’t get that many packs but, this one is for you Thorin,” Bilbo said smiling up at him.

 

Thorin nodded and looked through it.

 

Nori smirked as Bofur, Dwalin, Dori, Ori and Bifur betted silently to each other.

 

“What are these?” Thorin asked, holding up the small pouches.

 

“Look inside,” Bilbo told him.

 

Thorin did and looked up at Bilbo.

 

“I found those in the market and Nori said something of courting gifts to one another,” Bilbo suddenly became shy.

 

“These are very nice, Bilbo,” Thorin whispered when he spotted the hair rings.

 

“Do you think those will do?” Bilbo asked him curiously.

 

“And yet you think these here are silver?” Thorin asked, holing them up to him.

 

“Are they not?” Bilbo said worriedly.

 

“They are Mithril Bilbo. I know you do not know my culture that well, but Mithril is the hardest metal to ever come by. They are very light compared to that of steel or real silver,” Thorin explained to him, putting one hair ring in his palm and real silver and steel in the other.

 

“Oh!” Bilbo exclaimed, noticing how light Mithril truly was.

 

Flintric walked over and gruffly said “Is that all there is for us?”

 

Thorin glared at his youngest brother and said back “All of our packs are within Mirkwood forest. Unless you would like to go back there and be imprisoned for the rest of your life,”

 

Flintric took the “best” clothes from the pile and walked away.

 

“What is wrong with him, Thorin?” Bilbo murmured low.

 

“I don’t know. But I do know that we will have to stay here until tomorrow. The Master of the Lake wants us here for another week. I cannot afford to stay that long,” Thorin whispered back.

 

“What is the Dwarvish Wind-lance?” Bilbo asked him suddenly.

 

“What?” Thorin asked, stilling as he stared at Bilbo.

 

“The Dwarvish Wind-lance, what is it? Nori pointed it out while I was in the food area of the market,” Bilbo asked again.

 

“Girion fired it upon Smaug,” Balin began the tale. “He made his last stance upon that weapon. A dragon is covered in plated scales, acting like that of shield from anything, except Black Arrows. Girion, Lord of Dale, had so few of those arrows made. The dragons to the North were battling for more room and against each other, or so the rumors said. Smaug was a top warrior dragon. The gold draws them in, it’s the kind of reaction like that of a moth to a flame. And so, Girion fired arrow after arrow, until his last dying breath. Whatever happened to the rest of those Black Arrows, no one truly knows laddie,”

 

Everyone listened to this tale.

 

“It sounds as if you were there,” Bard said from his chair in the kitchen.

 

“I am really old and only 2 remaining survivors are in this very room who had witnessed Smaug attack Dale and Erebor,” Balin replied back.

 

Bilbo looked over at Thorin who was at the window now.

 

“Then you must know that Girion had loosened a scale under the left wing,” Bain said to Balin.

 

“I have heard that, just like I have heard many other things from that day. But, if there is a Black Arrow still around, then we may need it if we are to truly kill Smaug,” Balin replied and looked at Thorin who turned around.

 

“I can easily get you to the boarding docks. A boat always comes up missing for whatever reason,” Bard told them.

 

“Alright. But at night,” Thorin agreed with him.

 

Bard nodded and brought out a long spear. Bilbo gasped as he saw what it was.

 

“A Black Arrow,” he whispered as everyone stared in awe of it.

 

“Aye, this has been passed down from father to son since that day,” Bard said to them all.

 

“I hope we will bring some kind of justice,” Thorin told Bard.

 

Bard nodded but said nothing else.

 

The others took what Bilbo had bought for them, to change into their new clothes. Thorin gently rested his forehead against Bilbo’s in thanks for the courting gifts.

 

They all had one last meal before leaving with Bard and his family that evening.


	12. Chapter 12

**_ Chapter 12: _ **

 

Night was different for Lake-Town.

 

The wooden houses and buildings were bolder, darker with a haunting feel to it. However as the moon shined a bit down onto the darken land, it made things more approachable.

 

The dwarves and the hobbit slipped into the darkest parts of Lake-Town. No one saw them, light footsteps could be heard on the wooden planks of the docks, but the dwarves and Bilbo were in the darkness of the buildings.

 

“Thorin,” He whispered low looking around.

 

“Hmm?” Thorin hummed low.

 

“Where are we going? Isn’t the boats towards Erebor?” Bilbo asked curiously in a hushed whisper.

 

“Yes, but the company needs their weapons. They were taken because of some agreement that Flintric made with the Master of the Lake,” Thorin growled low.

 

Bilbo nodded and sighed.

 

Bard and Bain silently made their way to the Armory and the dwarves sneaked into the building. Bilbo was with Nori as they looked around for any sign of the guards.

 

Nothing was heard from inside as the dwarves got their swords back.

 

“Now we make for the boats,” Bard whispered low.

 

“It would be better if we swam there instead,” Khod huffed at them.

 

“Shh,” Bofur shushed them.

 

So they slowly made their way to the boats. The shadows were less and less by the torches on each of the houses. It was difficult since Bard had to take a route that was on the far outer edge of Lake-Town.

 

When they came upon the Master of the Lake’s grand house, they had to step by slow step, sneak under his windows. Bilbo grabbed Bombur’s shirt and they all halted when they heard voices.

 

“If that barrage man decides to come forth, I will be done!” the master of the Lake exclaimed.

 

“The people will elect him, instead,” a voice agreed nearly too easily.

 

“I cannot let that happen!” The Master of the Lake hissed.

 

Bilbo walked slowly over to Bard and whispered low “Make your speech now, bang on drums or something. After we are far away from here of course,”

 

“Aye,” Bard whispered back.

 

Silently as they could, the dwarves crept closer and closer to the boats. Thorin untied a couple of them as Bard pushed one of them out into the Lake.

 

When a sudden loud noise was heard, the dwarves and Bilbo turned and looked around frightened.

 

Khod hopped into the boat quickly as Bard glared at him.

 

Shoving the boat with all his might, Bard snarled “You are going to get them killed,”

 

Khod just nodded and pretty soon, the dwarves were rowing fast from the docks.

 

Bilbo sat behind Thorin in his boat as guardsmen and the people of Lake-Town came out. Pretty soon both boats were well out of sight when the Master of the Lake appeared.

 

“Can you hear what they are saying?” Thorin asked Bilbo.

 

“He is probably asking what Bard is doing here. Wait…I see him talking, standing upon some crates of some sort,” Bilbo said, looking at the docks.

 

Balin nodded and asked “Making his speech?”

 

“Yes. The town’s people just found out of his linage. They want to have him as their master instead of their current one,” Bilbo whispered low, guessing from this distance was hard.

 

“TO DALE!!” Bard yelled out.

 

“TO DALE! TO DALE!” the people of Lake-Town chanted and cheered.

 

“Row, Thorin,” Bilbo told him firmly.

 

“Aye,” Thorin agreed and the dwarves rowed hard across the lake.

 

It took them some odd hours to get to the shore but, Bilbo smiled when he saw lights on the lake.

 

“Come, we must get out of sight. Push those boats back into the lake,” Thorin ordered Nori and Dori.

 

The Ri brothers nodded and did as they were told.

 

The boats floated freely as the company walked up a steep bank and continued towards the ever growing mountain of Erebor.

 

“Khod,” Bilbo asked “Why did you make that noise when we left Lake-Town?”

 

“That is none of your concern,” Khod snarled at him.

 

“It is when my and everyone else’s life is in danger, including that of your king!” Bilbo snapped back.

 

Thorin stepped behind Bilbo, looking at Khod. Flintric stepped behind Khod, in the similar manner.

 

“He had his reason, halfing,” Flintric stated.

 

“I wouldn’t know, greedy thieves,” Bilbo seethed back.

 

Balin and everyone else glared at the two dwarves.

 

Khod took out his sword and pointed it at Bilbo.

 

“Enough,” Thorin stepped in then.

 

“Why should we take orders from someone who our own kind won’t accept?” Khod dared Bilbo.

 

“Khod, Flintric,” Thorin thundered at them.

 

The words hurt Bilbo but, tried to ignore it.

 

“You two are going to remain in Dale,” Thorin ordered them both.

 

“What!” both of them snapped.

 

“You are no longer who you once were,” Thorin said with pity.

 

“You cannot stop us,” Flintric told him.

 

“I don’t want to, Flintric, but you are leaving me with no other choice,” Thorin replied back, putting himself in front of Bilbo.

 

Balin then said “If the two of you answer our questions, we will think of letting you come with us,”

 

Bilbo looked over at him, curious on what he was up to.

 

“Khod made that noise because to us, and only us it seems, that the Master of the Lake of Lake-Town is not a bad guy,” Flintric said to them all.

 

“Only you two see him as a nice guy, but to the rest of us, he is a greedy heartless man,” Nori stepped in.

 

“Aye,” Dwalin agreed as well.

 

“He raises the taxes, eats banquets while his people starve,” Ori chimed in with distress.

 

“they can go somewhere else,” Khod growled low.

 

“That isn’t a Master,” Bilbo said at once “That is man taken with greed and the people of Lake-Town have forgotten what a true leader is!”

 

“Quiet halfing,” Khod snapped at him.

 

“Why? Because you don’t like me speaking and spilling out the truth in front of your heartless eyes?” Bilbo dared back.

 

Dwalin, Dori and Bifur formed a wall in front of Bilbo.

 

“They won’t be there to protect you forever,” Khod threatened as he and Flintric walked away.

 

No one said anything on this argument.

 

“Thorin,” Bilbo whispered low.

 

“Something is wrong with them,” Thorin told his group.

 

“What is it?” Ori asked confused.

 

“The gold sickness,” Balin heavily sighed “it is affecting them before we reach the mountain,”

 

“Is there any cure to it?” Bilbo asked, looking at his fellow comrades.

 

“No, laddie, there isn’t,” Balin regretfully said, looking down at the ground.

 

“Then what can we do?” Bofur asked, looking back to where those two walked off.

 

“Nothing but let them into the mountain,” Thorin stated “It is their right to do so,”

 

“You know something, that we don’t,” Balin said to him.

 

“Aye, but I won’t speak of it now. However, we need to move. The people of Lake-Town are getting closer,” Thorin replied, walking towards Erebor.

 

The company sighed and followed their King.

 

Bilbo felt some hands pat his shoulders in comfort of what Khod and Flintric had said to him.

 

It wouldn’t be for a month had passed from the Battle of the Five Armies that Bilbo would regret calling Flintric and Khod those words. No one of the company would or could lift their hobbit’s regretful spirit after that horrid battle, except maybe a letter from home.

 

But for now, Bilbo was still seething. He hid it well from everyone within the company.

 

Never call a hobbit halfing. It’s the greatest insult that one could make to them. It is not in their nature to be hateful towards other people. Gossip they will, but they won’t be hateful towards anyone unless they have been caused great harm to them personally, as they are free loving children of Yavanna.

 

Bilbo gazed up at Erebor as it was getting bigger and bigger with each passing step. However, he couldn’t help the shiver running up or down his spine.

 

Smaug was in that mountain and the deep gut feeling was telling him to run the other way. If only Gandalf was here.


	13. Chapter 13

**_ Author’s Note: _ **

**__ **

_Hey everyone. I know, I know. Long time since I updated this story._

_Been really sick. It started out as a sinus cold, but then it went into my lungs. Now I’m finally over it all. Holy cow is right._

_I posted up over on AO3 on this and I want to thank every single one of the people who have shared their kindness while I sick. Thank you to all who responded over on AO3._

_Even though we get a small glimpse of what life could be like in Erebor, I decided to have a background story time while the company walks to Dale and Erebor. It’s a filler in some sense, but reveals a lot._

_Another thing, I may not be able to update as much because, I got a new puppy. And like all baby animals, they need a lot of attention, love and lots of guiding. So if you don’t see this or any other fic updated that’s why._

_I hope you enjoy this chapter since I wanted to update this fic back in June._

_Please Read and review and enjoy!_

_Thank you,_

_Alonia143._

**__ **

**_ Chapter 13: _ **

 

When the light of the sun woke Bilbo up from his slumber, he saw that not everyone was up. The dwarves had found a place to sleep for the night, but Flintric and Khod were nowhere to be seen.

 

Bilbo slowly got to his sore feet. His body protested for being up this early but also walking again once more.

 

Thorin was up and around the fire with Gloin, Balin and Dwalin.

 

He walked over to them and sat down; a hot cup of tea was forced into his hands and a plate of smoked ham with bread for breakfast.

 

“Morning,” he greeted his friends.

 

“Morning,” they all grumbled back.

 

Bilbo didn’t take that offensively since they were just waking up.

 

Balin was shaking his head in disgust.

 

“What’s wrong, Balin?” Bilbo asked him, sipping his cup of tea.

 

“This all use to be forests. It wasn’t like that of Mirkwood, but it was a small forest for the game to live in. The hills were lined with small trees and bushes. I remember, when King Thror was on the throne, that we would hunt wild boar back in here. One time we hunted one that was so large, we feasted on it for weeks on end,” He explained sadly gazing around.

 

Bilbo looked around the rocky and barren landscape now.

 

“Can you tell me more of when Erebor was in its glory days?” he asked any of them.

 

“Certainly, but let us eat and drink breakfast,” Balin agreed with him, sipping carefully on his own cup of tea.

 

Bilbo nodded and ate his breakfast.

 

2 hours later, they were all up, packed, fire put out and they were walking.

 

“Balin?” Bilbo reminded him “The stories of Erebor?”

 

“Aye laddie,” Balin said with pride.

 

Everyone listened in by huddling closer to the older dwarf.

 

“When King Thror was on the throne, Prince Thrain and Prince Thorin were making sure that the people of Erebor thrived. This was before the Gold sickness really grabbed a hold of King Thror and twisted his mind. And well before when the Dragon came. Prince Thrain was doing his rounds, the Seven Star festival was going and the Durin’s Crown ball was that night, everyone from all of the clans were coming into Erebor,” Balin began his story as the dwarves listened.

 

Bilbo looked at Thorin as he blushed from hearing this story so many times before.

 

“Now, all week long, I have had Thorin and Prince Frerin in my lessons for a week and as each day passed. Prince Frerin was chomping at the bit to get out of there and be mingling with that Princess. It was an arranged marriage, normal for the royals to marry of course. Thorin, never really was into that end of the royal demand and I’m thinking, it’s a good thing that he didn’t listen to his grandfather and father,” Balin continued to explain, smiling mostly at Bilbo.

 

Bilbo tried to keep his blushing down but, failed.

 

“Prince Frerin had come up with a prank where to this day, I still can’t get my good robes cleaned,” Balin began again, chuckling. “He set up a powder candle to go off with very bright pink and purple colors to stick to one’s clothes. It got him in major trouble with his mother but, I was so upset that I let him and Thorin out of lessons early. Thorin had stayed behind to clean up; he got some pink in his hair when that stuff exploded,”

 

Thorin shook his head “Aye, Frerin was always joking around. Wasn’t paying that much attention to what was being said,”

 

Bilbo knew that Thorin missed his younger brother.

 

Flintric stared at Thorin but kept his mouth shut for the time being.

 

“So, Prince Frerin ran all over the hallways, trying to get this or that for this princess. I forgot her name but, she was a beauty. Strawberry blonde hair, deep emerald green eyes-”

 

“Reida. Her name was Reida,” Flintric cut in.

 

Everyone looked at him curiously and confused.

 

Balin slowly then asked “And you know of that how?”

 

Flintric stayed silent, walking away.

 

Thorin gazed after him as the wheels in everyone’s mind started to turn: was Flintric the son of Prince Frerin? How did he know that name?

 

Bilbo walked forward as it got everyone else walking again too.

 

“So what happened next?” Ori asked Balin, his hand moving fast across his massive book.

 

“Well….prince Frerin went back to his room to get everything in order. It was very hard to tell which one was Thorin or Frerin because they look so much alike. Jet raven black hair, piercing deep blue eyes, strong facial features and they dressed in the royal blue colors. You had to look at their beads to know which one was which,” Balin started up again, smiling. “After I had dismissed Thorin from the lessons and helping clean up as much of that horrid powder as possible, he was on his way to the forges. If I remember correctly, you were trying to get this set of beads just right but, every metal that you came across just didn’t work?”

 

“Aye,” Thorin picked up the story “It was always something off with how I would mold the metal and so I had to go with Mithril. It didn’t look cheap or I could easily spot my mistakes. I was down there for not but a minute, when I saw Princess Reida.  She came up to me; giggling and telling me that I need to go wash my hair,”

 

“Aye,” Balin chuckled “She did. But also mixed Thorin up with that of Prince Frerin, that she honestly thought that it was his brother,”

 

The others chuckled and gave Thorin a bit of a hard time for it.

 

“So what happened next?” Bilbo asked them, smiling.

 

“Well, Thorin tried to tell her that he was Thorin, not Prince Frerin. But you know how dwarrowdams can get. More stubborn then us,” Balin chuckled.

 

“Yeah, I walked back to my room, grabbed some fresh clothes and drew up a bath. While I was doing that, my brother had spotted her outside in the hallway and to this day, I don’t think she knew the difference,” Thorin finished up the tale.

 

The others chuckled, shaking their heads at this tale of their King.

 

“Is there any more?” Bilbo asked, looking at Thorin.

 

Thorin chuckled and replied “Yes, but want to hear one before I was born?”

 

Ori and Bilbo stated at once “Yes!”

 

Meanwhile, far up a head, Khod looked at Flintric angrily.

 

“This discussing of the past will draw attention to us,” Khod snarled.

 

“It might or it might not. Besides it will keep the young ones busy with the stories in their heads for a while,” Flintric told him, walking and looking around the burned and ruin landscape.

 

“They should be carrying most of the packs,” Khod grunted.

 

Flintric kept silent as he kept close to Khod.

 

No birds were singing; no animals in sight were anywhere to be found. This is what Smaug had done that day. Turning of what was lush and vibrant of life to ash and dust.

 

“When we do get to that mountain, how are we going to kill it? You know that halfing won’t”

 

“Do not call him a halfing, Khod. Regardless of what you may think of him, he does deserve our respect,” Flintric cut in and glared at Khod.

 

“Fine, Hobbit. We all know that he won’t kill it. Doesn’t have the heart or guts to do so,” Khod huffed back.

 

“Then you and I should come up with a back plan,” Flintric then said.

 

They spoke low to themselves of such plans.

 

It was high noon when everyone stopped for lunch.

 

Bilbo sat next to Thorin chuckling on what Thorin had gotten into when he was much younger.

 

“You remind me of me when I was younger,” Bilbo told him eating his dried pork.

 

“I think, Bilbo, I know of that little boy that you speak of,” Thorin replied, smiling at him.

 

“Yeah? What was he like?” Bilbo teased him, smiling at Thorin.

 

“Oh he was wild, probably drove everyone nuts with worry because he was so bold and adventurous,” Thorin said lightly.

 

Everyone else left the two alone, shaking their heads.

 

“What about you?” Bilbo asked him curiously.

 

“Well, when I was a little dwarfling or pebble as my mother loved to call me,” Thorin began thinking back “I was energetic, curious and loved to have fun. I remember quite fondly, that my father had to discipline me more times then he count throughout a whole day. I remember fighting with him on wanting to be like the other kids; not having chores or being a prince,”

 

“Just wanting to be a kid,” Bilbo simply put it.

 

“Yeah,” Thorin said “But my father was the same way as I, when I was that age. He was a bit more courageous but, that all changed when his grandmother died in her sleep,”

 

“From what?”

 

“Old age. She lived to be around 460 and for us dwarves, that is quite old,”

 

“Yeah it is. I am sorry for her loss,”

 

“Don’t be. She lived a very well life,”

 

“How did King Thror do after she passed?” Bilbo asked him, dreading this answer.

 

Thorin thought on it and replied “Badly. His gold sickness was at bay because of her. So when she died, it took a much stronger root and ultimately destroyed him in his mind,”

 

Placing his hand on top of Thorin’s, Bilbo felt bad for Thorin. For Bilbo knew what had happened to King Thror after the Dragon came. He was beheaded in the battle of Moria by Azog.

 

“Everyone thinks that my grandfather was this evil person. Cruel and heartless. But he wasn’t. It just something from the gold that was evil,” Thorin stated, looking out into the bare hills.

 

“I bet he was fun and caring before it,” Bilbo offered to him.

 

Thorin could only nod, since there were so many memories of how King Thror was before he got the sickness.

 

The rest of the day was quiet. They walked on and on. The landscape changing very little as they came upon a lake.

 

The lake itself wasn’t that big, but Thorin knew, with time it will grow.

 

“What lake is this?” Bilbo asked, looking from one edge to the other.

 

“The eye of the Mountain,” Balin told him.

 

“The eye of the mountain? What does that mean?” Bilbo asked, trying to figure it out.

 

“Crystal Lake is its real name. It acts like a mirror on clear days. We can easily see with a very powerful scope, where our hunting parties are at, who is coming up to the mountain and who is our enemy,” Thorin told him, showing him certain points.

 

“So how far is Erebor now?” Bilbo asked, looking around.

 

“Not that far, laddie. Within a few days we’ll come to the overlook of Dale and Erebor. We’ll camp here for tonight,” Balin said to him, setting up camp.

 

As they set up camp, Bilbo looked at Crystal Lake and walked to the edge of it. Thorin walked up behind him and picked up a stone.

 

“One of the many reasons why it’s Crystal is because the crystals that are at the bottom of it,” Thorin further explained to Bilbo.

 

“Why is that?” Bilbo asked, picking up one and examining it closely.

 

“There are many stories about this lake. One of them was that Durin’s soul was restless after living his life, he vowed that he would come back to live again. And so, his soul wandered until he came upon a lonely mountain. It reminded him of his halls in Moria and was finally laid to rest in the middle of the lake. They say, if one could reach the middle there, he or she will find what Durin left behind,” Thorin told him as Bilbo looked into the certain of the lake.

 

“What about other races? Would he grant her or him that too?” Bilbo asked Thorin.

 

“Well, the stories never did say it had to be a dwarf,” Thorin replied back to him.

 

Bilbo nodded and looked at the certain of the lake. He would come back and look in it, if the story was true.

 

For now, Bilbo walked over and sat on a very smooth rock and put his feet into the cold refreshing water. Thorin didn’t get to have that chance as he walked back into camp.

 

They ate a pork stew and sang songs that night.

 

The next morning it was almost the same; Balin told Bilbo and Ori stories of Erebor’s glory days and how things were back then.

 

Flintric and Khod stayed out in front as point. No one wanted to be near them since their attitudes kept getting worse and worse by each step that they took.

 

“I cannot explain why they are reacting like this,” Balin said to Bilbo on the third day.

 

“Is it because of the gold? Does it have that large of a pull on them?” Bilbo asked, looking where the two had gone.

 

“No,” Thorin said next.

 

“Then what is it?” Bofur asked curiously now.

 

“We don’t honestly know, but it could be because of the gold and the Dragon that lies upon it,” Balin softly told them.

 

“So what kind of game did you hunt here?” Bofur asked Thorin.

 

Thorin was silent for a while and then said “Boar, deer, wild birds and fish from the Running River,”

 

“Care to tell us that one hunt of yours,” Dwalin asked, grinning at his King.

 

Thorin scowled at Dwalin and said “I will later tonight,”

 

Dwalin chuckled as it made everyone else curious on what happened.

 

The walk this time around was a lot different from the flat ground. It started to rise and as it did, Bilbo looked around as it was getting foggy.

 

“What is this place?” he asked, confused.

 

“We’re close to the overlook. This here, used to have thick trees that the game loved to eat and hide in. Once Smaug came, he let his fire take hold and destroyed this area,” Balin explained looking sad at the once lush forest.

 

Bilbo nodded as Thorin said “Bilbo, come here,”

 

He walked up to where Thorin and everyone were at.

 

“This is the overlook. See Dale is there,” Thorin pointed to it when the fog cleared up a bit “And Erebor is to your right,”

 

Bilbo looked at the forgotten city of men. From where he could see, the city of Dale was still standing but, the massive damage to certain parts he knew that was where Smaug attacked.

 

It looked spooky. Time has stood still within this once great city of men. Bilbo only hoped that it will come alive again when Thorin takes Erebor back.

 

“Alright, story time,” Thorin said to Bilbo and to the others “And a break for the rest of us,”

 

The others started to doze off when Thorin pulled Bilbo away from them.

 

“I wonder when the wedding will take place?” Ori muttered low to Dori.

 

“Oh, not that long lad,” Balin said smiling.

 

“I give it 3 months,” Nori said grinning.

 

“I say 2,” Dwalin grunted.

 

“Alright boys, we got ourselves a betting going on,” Bofur said cheerfully.

 

Meanwhile, back over to Thorin and Bilbo, Thorin sat down and had Bilbo in his lap.

 

“I was only 15 when this hunt happened. I took Dwalin and a large group of dwarves with me since my mother kept on worrying that I would get hurt,” Thorin began his tale.

 

Bilbo chuckled and said “I bet she was a lovely dwarrowdam and Princess,”

 

“Aye, she was. Held a firm grip for the people, market, mining and forges of Erebor, she did,” Thorin said, looking down.

 

Bilbo nodded and kept silent for now.

 

“So we came out here, to the overlook and the sun was still high in the sky. We looked for trail signs and found some deer had been through. Since we were looking for hogs, a couple deer wouldn’t be that bad to have,” Thorin continued on with his story.

 

Bilbo listened to him.

 

“I had found a trail where a group of hogs had gorged on the rotten logs; to get the bugs and such from within. They didn’t leave that faint of a tracking trail but, if one wasn’t trained to know the signs, then yeah the hogs would have disappeared. My group followed the tracks deeper into the forest until we spotted the group. A female hog had just given birth to a very large litter.

 

My bow and arrow was all ready and aimed at the male hog. He was massive Bilbo. The male probably weighed in about 2000 pounds and close to a man’s height or taller. The female was more bulky then the male and weighed a lot more than him.

 

“As I was watching them, I kept seeing the runt get kicked out of the group because it was white. The family itself was deep black, so I started to make little grunting sounds. It lured the runt to us and I captured it. Don’t worry, we didn’t eat it, I sent it to my cousin, Dain, for a pet.

 

The family wasn’t upset that the runt was gone. What happened next still gets me highly upset because that was our forest. Not a part of Mirkwood or anything like that. It was at our doorstep and far away from Thranduil’s kingdom. An arrow comes flying through the air silently and killed the male at once.

 

“The mother pig was angry and pushed her babies to the safety of their den, I think, and went charging into the forest. My group walked over when the coast was clear and saw that the arrow was indeed from the Elves of Mirkwood. So, of them ruining our hunt, we took the male pig back to Erebor.

 

When my grandfather heard of this, he started to cut ties with Mirkwood. No one bought their things from there until many years later. When he tried to give Thranduil that necklace of his,” Thorin said, looking at the ground.

 

“That’s ….” Bilbo tried to say but couldn’t come up with any right words to say.

 

“Yeah,” Thorin agreed with him.

 

“What happened to the pig family?” Bilbo asked him curiously.

 

“I think, though I don’t know for sure, they moved on after the mother pig got her revenge on the elves,” Thorin said, knowing full well that the elves let her live.

 

Bilbo nodded and then said “Thank you for sharing that story, though I know you left some parts of it out,”

 

“That I did because I don’t want to ruin your light on Dwalin,” Thorin chuckled.

 

Bilbo snickered and replied “It won’t. Just maybe make him more likeable,”

 

“Yeah, he needs to soften up a bit,” Thorin agreed with him.

 

“I heard that!” Dwalin’s voice carried over to them.

 

Both Thorin and Bilbo chuckled more at this.


End file.
